Crunch time in Tlokweng land row
Mpho Mokwape | Tuesday July 29, 2014 13:01
The Tlokweng Land Board is set to meet this Thursday after the expiry of a July 21 deadline set by the Land Tribunal for the Matlapeng family to remove a fence it erected on a bitterly disputed piece of land in the village.
The two square kilometre plot in Metlhabeng ward has been at the centre of heated differences between the Land Board and the family for more than 20 years, which were heightened by the family leasing part of the plot to the World Community Counselling Centre (WCCC).
The family also fenced the plot resulting in some residents, who were allocated plots there by the Land Board, finding themselves locked in with the church.
While the Matlapeng family argues that the land rightfully belongs to them as it was previously a farm field, the Land Board disputes this. The land authority won an order at the Land Tribunal last month which ordered the Matlapeng family to remove the fence by July 21.
Land Board officials said the authority would meet on Thursday with a view to activating sections of the Tribunal order allowing the Land Board to tear down the fence and pass on costs to the Matlapeng family.
According to the order, the family will also be fined P500.
Yesterday, Land Board Secretary, Roselyn Mmakedimotse, said a decision was pending on the next course of action.
“I have just met with the Board chairperson and we will meet (as a board) on Thursday.
“Later we will give an update on the matter as we are aware that this is a public issue affecting many people who are awaiting a course of action,” she said.
Meanwhile, Matlapeng family members say they are not complying with the Tribunal’s order as they are pursuing other legal options and have also engaged a lawyer.
Family representative, Rammonye Matlapeng, said they have already started with the legal process adding that they approached the Land Tribunal where they filed an urgent application for rescission.
He, however, explained that the Tribunal said there was nothing urgent in the application.
“They said we should approach the High Court if we believe it should be urgent,” he said.
“Even though the Tribunal has failed to slot us for an urgent application, we are still pursuing other legal routes and will therefore not be taking the fence down.”
The Metlhabeng plot issue has ping-ponged through the judiciary over the years, with the Land Tribunal’s judgement on the fence only being a small part of the bigger battle over the plot.