MEDIA STATEMENT
AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT RETURNS TO ENOCH MGIJIMA MUNICIPALITY TO FOLLOW-UP ON LAND DISPUTE
Conflict between the Amatshashu Traditional Authority Council and various residents and lease holders in Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape has been simmering for some time over ownership and other rights to Gwatyu farm land. In response to this, the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development resolved to undertake a week-long oversight visit to get to grips with the issues contributing to the problems.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Mr Mandla Mandela, said the issues arise of out a hunger for land restitution in South Africa. “During our engagements, we heard that the status quo at Gwatyu is complex and stems from the communal land claims, on one hand, and the Amatshashu Traditional Council claim to the farm land in Gwatyu.” He also warned that the 1913 cut-off date for land claims needs to be revised.
The Director-General in the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Mr Ramasodi Mooketsa, referred to an audit undertaken by the department to establish the rightful owners of the 35 000 hectares of farm land in the area. This audit led to the establishment of the Gwatyu Land Rights Action Plan that sought to involve multiple stakeholders in a bid to resolve the matter. However, this initiative failed after departmental officials were subjected to intimidation and threats. The department then sought to enlist the service of the South African Police Services to accompany them to Gwatyu to do their work.
During an interrogation session, members of the portfolio committee asked whether the Amatshashu Traditional Authority Council is officially recognised and has a recourse to all the privileges accorded a traditional authority. Mr Mooketsa confirmed that this is the case. Mr Mandela then went on to ask if the farm land currently being disputed belongs to the Amatshashu Traditional Authority Council or not, but Mr Mooketsa was noncommittal on this point, saying that the audit proposed by the department seeks to determine exactly that.
According to Ms Thandeka Mbabama, a member of the committee, intimidation and violence “is nothing but an excuse of the department’s part. The talk about the land audit goes way back to 2015”. In her view, “There’s simply no urgency in how the department is handling this matter. And there’s no progress whatsoever that has been recorded ever since we visited Gwatyu.”
The Chairperson supported this view by asking the Deputy Minister, Ms Zoleka Capa, if she had been to Gwatyu since the committee’s visit, as she promised she would Ms Capa had to confess that she had not. Another committee member, Mr Sam Matiase, then said that the department has lost legitimacy in its handling of the matter. “The fact that the department can’t do its work on its own accord and without being accompanied by police goes to show that it has lost legitimacy in the eyes of the very people it’s meant to serve.”
The Director-General replied by saying that he shared the committee’s concern about the department’s inability to serve the community without police protection. In response to the committee’s concerns about poor progress, he said: “The progress we have registered thus far is not what we wanted, but we are doing our level best to uphold our commitments of resolving this land dispute.”
Mr Mandela then replied: “We will follow your progress and continue to hold you accountable to your commitments to ensure that this matter gets resolved amicably. The people of Gwatyu deserve that.”   
Abel Mputing
31 August 2022