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FS Agriculture MEC hears concerns regarding Oppermansgronde land claims settlement

───   ELSABÉ RICHARD 05:00 Thu, 15 Apr 2021

FS Agriculture MEC hears concerns regarding Oppermansgronde land claims settlement | News Article
PHOTO: FACEBOOK

Free State Agriculture MEC, William Bulwane, visited the community of Oppermansgronde near Koffiefontein.

He met with the community after a complaint was lodged with his department regarding the Oppermansgronde land claims settlement. 

See PODCAST below

The MEC was accompanied by the mayor of Letsemeng Local Municipality, Abram Lebaka, in a bid to mediate and hear concerns regarding the land on Tuesday.

The department reveals in a statement that: “The Free State province has 32 Communal Property Associations (CPA's) and Oppermansgronde Communal Property Association (OCPA) was the second land claim in the Free State. It is 44 000 hectares and the majority of the land is used for farming purposes. The OCPA was claimed in 2005 and it was registered as a CPA through the Communal Property Associations (CPA) Act 28 of 1996.

“The 1913 Land Act was a legislative tool that was used to dispossess people their rightful land by the government. Through the Land Restitution Act (No. 22 of 1994), the democratic government is correcting and giving back the land to those who were dispossessed their rightful land.”

Bulwane stated that those beneficiaries should come together and negotiate and find ways on how they can utilize the land that they’ve been given for the betterment of their community. He added that because unemployment is an issue in rural communities, the 44 000 hectares of land could be a saving grace for many in and around the community.

“The MEC emphasised that CPA's play a key role in economic development and job creation. But their development and expansion are inhibited by infighting by members of the CPA. The MEC strongly believes that the challenges that are confronting the OCPA can be resolved,” read the statement.

Bulwane shared with OFM News that he has suggested the parties involved, to work together with help from the rural development department, to negotiate and focus on perfecting the committee’s constitution.

He further suggested that deadlines are set for objectives and to also brief him on an ongoing basis regarding how far they are with resolving their issues. They have been given a timeframe of 30 days from the date the meeting took place to provide feedback to the department.




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