MAKWARELA - After fighting each other in public for a long time, the civic associations of Mbaleni and of Makwarela Extension 3 have finally smoked the peacepipe for the first time. This follows after a meeting held at the Thulamela Municipal offices in Thohoyandou on Monday.

The two civic associations were at loggerheads over their differences about the allocation of empty stands situated behind the Hollywood garage. The problem started when the Extension 3 civic association approached the municipality, the then Thohoyandou TLC, with a view that the 290 stands should be allocated to the people.

Their reason was that the empty stands were posing a life threat to the community, as criminals were ambushing unsuspecting victims, especially females, raping and robbing them of their belongings.

After threatening that they would allocate the stand to the people, unless the municipality give a positive response, the municipality and the Extension 3 civic associaation agreed that the stands which had initially been earmarked for RDP houses should be allocated to the people.

However, the civic association of Mbaleni, together with their traditional leader, Thithonwi Mphaphuli, raised a concern about the allocation of stands, stating that they should handle the process, as the land belonged to Mphaphuli.

On the other hand, the Extension 3 civic association urged that there was no way the traditional leader could allocate the stands, as the land was a proclaimed zone. As a result, Mphaphuli and his civic association allocated the same stands that had already been allocated by the Extension 3 civic association, to people.

As the community, more especially those who had been allocated the stands, were still confused about what to do, the municipality applied for a court interdict, which denied all parties from allocating stands.

For the benefit of the community, the two parties met with municipal officers Norman Madi, Chris Mudau and Ward 28 councillor Lufuno Mudzanani. During the meeting it was agreed that lists of the people who had beengiven stands, which were submitted to the municipality, would be considered.

The conditions were that the people who had been given stands by both parties should pay from Monday to the municipality. Every person given a stand is expected to develop it within two years. No one will be allowed to sell the stand.

Both Takalani Thomani of Makwarela Extension 3 civic association and Nditsheni Mudau of Mbaleni civic association said they were happy about the agreement reached at the municipal offices.