Question NW42 to the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development
05 August 2024 - NW42
Dlamini, Ms M to ask the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development
With regards to the settlement of the Lower Zingcuka Land Claim in Keiskammahoek, Eastern Cape, what are the reasons that officials from the Land Claims Commission demand households to produce permission to occupy (PTO) certificates before payments for compensation are processed; (2) whether the requirement to produce PTO certificates has replaced the auditing of dispossessed households which was practiced by his department; if so, what are the regulatory or legislative basis for this requirement?
Reply:
1. The Commission on Restitution of Land Rights is guided by policies and standard operating procedures to identify the correct beneficiaries including household verification using historic documents. Furthermore, it is the representative of the Community who alerted the office of the discrepancy in the payment list stating that the qualifying beneficiaries have been left out.
2. The requirement of PTOs does not replace the screening and vetting exercise that has been conducted, but it is part of the policy to confirm that legitimate beneficiaries are paid in terms of the Restitution of Land Rights Act No 22 of 1994.
END