LOUIS TRICHARDT –On Saturday, April 13, in what was said to be an historic occasion, one of the region's few private game reserves, the Ben Lavin Nature Reserve, was handed back to the Manavhela Community.

The restoration of land to the Manavhela community follows a landmark settlement agreement between the Manavhela Land Claims Committee and the Wild Life and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA). The claim was filed on August 29, 1996 with the process culminating in a special handing-over ceremony attended by, amongst others Adv Wallis Mgoqi (Land Claims Commissioner), Mr Aron Motsoaledi (MEC for Agriculture), representatives of the Wild Life Society and members of the Manavhela community.

In his speech Motsoaledi said that being given the land back was just the beginning of the process. He urged the Manavhela community not to follow the same route as other communities who got their land back but later tried to sell it because they could not produce a profit from it. He also warned that although it is their land, the government will not allow anyone to squat on it.

"If you want to live like a king, you must work like as slave," Motsoaledi concluded.

Today known as Ben Lavin, the claimed land used to be known as Ha-Manavhela and consists of the farm Vygeboomspruit 286 LS and remaining extant portions 1, 2, 3 and 4. At the end of the First World War the Manavhela community, who occupied the land even before 1900, saw the arrival of the war veteran Ben Lavin. Shortly after his arrival the then Native Commissioner of Louis Trichardt informed the Manavhela community that Ben Lavin was the new owner of the land on which they were staying. They were subsequently turned into labour tenants and subjected to forced labour for a period of three to nine months a year in exchange for staying on the farm. Community members who did not comply with the conditions for staying on the farm were issued with "trekpasses" and ordered to leave the farm. In total some 600 households representing about 2 000 community members were removed from the land.

Following Ben Lavin's death the land was in 1975 donated to WESSA by Molly Lavin, wife of the late Ben Lavin. She also entrusted the nature reserve to them in her will, following her death in 1993.

From the start WESSA made it clear that they would not contest the claim. It was in this spirit of co-operation from both parties that a settlement agreement was reached and the claim was awarded to the Manavhela community in August last year. Although the land has been handed back to the Manavhela community, the Ben Lavin Nature Reserve will be managed as a going concern by the Ben Lavin Trust and WESSA, in partnership with the Manavhela community.

Saturday's handing-over ceremony also coincided with Ben Lavin's 25th birthday celebrations. The festivities were attended by a number a stakeholders, including the new management committee consisting of Messrs Peter Menné (chairman), Rumani Murwa Manavhela, Vasco Manavhela, Mandiwana Ramovha (Manavhela), Phillemon Manavhela, Gerhard Koch (Nature Reserve Manager), Hendrik Kock, Pieter Uys (WESSA) and dr. Oluf Martiny.