Durban - Members of the Nazareth community near Pinetown are concerned about what they claim is the illegal sale of land that belongs to the community trust. They are also upset that the sale went ahead without their knowledge.
About 45 hectares of land belongs to the Helping Hand Community Trust which has 12 members from Nazareth and KwaSanti.
The trust was formed after some community members benefited from the Commission on the Restitution of Land Rights, which bought the land from the Roman Catholic Mission in 2006.
Some members accused the political leaders of ward 16 of selling the land illegally. They also revealed that the new incumbents were taking advantage of the fact that members of the board of trustees were at loggerheads.
Trust founder and chairperson David Sikhakhane said the land sale blunder started in 2012. He consulted the eThekwini Municipality and the Department of Rural Development about the matter but nothing had been done, while new inhabitants had moved onto the land.
“We are title-deed holders but our land is being taken without our permission. We have seen people coming here, saying they have been told there is land available for sale, but the trust has never advertised any for sale.
“It seems that we will soon end up as back yard tenants on the land of our ancestors. Our community leaders are the main culprits as they are enriching themselves at the expense of the trustees by selling land that is supposed to belong to us as a community,” said Sikhakhane.
It is alleged the land was sold for between R40000 and R60000.
About 45 hectares of land belongs to the Helping Hand Community Trust, which has 12 members. It’s alleged that some of the land has been sold illegally for between R40 000 and R60 000. Picture: BONGANI MBATHA
Resident Bongumusa Zulu, whose yard was used as a thoroughfare to the vacant land, decried the sale of the land.
He said the sites were advertised on WhatsApp by those connected with councillor Sakhesiphi Buthelezi, who was serving a third term as a ward councillor.
“Most new inhabitants were people from outside the area and politically connected. We strongly condemn what is going on in our area,” said Zulu.
He claimed two officials visited his house and twice asked him to open the path in his yard so that new inhabitants could access their sites. He said they promised to give him a piece of land in return.
Buthelezi denied his involvement in the illegal sale of the land.
“I’m not involved in any of this. It’s politically motivated by those who were defeated in elections. We have seen people buying sites but the land belongs to the trust. We have no right to do that,” said Buthelezi.
Department of Rural Development director Advocate Bheki Mbili said he was unaware of the matter but stressed that all the rights to the land rested with the community trust.