POLOKWANE – Seriously delinquent official behaviour by members of the Office of the Land Claims Commission in Limpopo and the dubious role played by the Nkuzi Development Association should receive the urgent attention of the MEC and the National Minister of Agriculture.

The partisan and grossly irresponsible attitude displayed by some officials, and political utterances which at times border on hate speech, cultivates mistrust and reinforce the perception that land owners can be sure that they will not receive a fair deal from the Commission, says Mr Dries Joubert, Chairperson of the TAU-SAW Northern Region. He also challenged the controversial Nkuzi Development Association to prove whom they represent, by who they are elected, who their sponsors are and to whom they are accountable.

Mr Joubert reacted on the latest in a series of controversial actions by the office of the Provincial Land Claims Commissioner – a meeting concerning the claims by the Muhovha community, held in Makhado (Louis Trichardt) last Friday. He said Nkuzi was given equal status to government departments at the meeting, while TAU-SA, a democratic organisation, elected and accountable to its members, and who do not receive foreign funding, was not given the same opportunity. Requests and questions by the some 130 land owners and their bona fide representatives were pointedly ignored and rejected during the latest controversial meeting. This caused the meeting to end prematurely, when landowners left the meeting in protest against what they claim to be the unacceptable, biased, inappropriate, arrogant, aggressive and irresponsible conduct of the seemingly junior officials who conducted the meeting.

Mr Joubert expressed concern that the Land Claims Commissioner did not turn up at the meeting. He expressed his deep concern with the conduct of the meeting’s chairperson, whom, he said, fuelled uneasiness with his aggressive behaviour and irresponsible utterances. The chairperson, who, amongst others, threatened to remove members from the audience, was at one stage called to order by one of the participants. Mr Joubert praised the landowners for their restraint and good behaviour. He said party political statements by the chairperson is a sure sign that the commission is not only totally biased, but also obviously influenced by the ruling party and that landowners can be sure that they will not receive a fair deal from the Commission.

Mr Joubert expressed his concern that proposals from landowners during the fixing of the agenda were brutally suppressed.

“It was clear that the chairperson will only allow input from a certain group and that input from the landowners was not allowed.”

He said the previous compensation which claimants received is still not adequately addressed in South Africa. He said the question remains: The claimants previously received compensation. Are they going to keep that compensation plus receive “restitution” according to the latest claim? Will that not constitute double “restitution”?

Mr Joubert said the Commission did not honour any of the agreements reached during the meeting of 2 November 2004 and 1 December 2004. The TAU-SA Northern Region therefore confirms that the moratorium on all farm visits, remain in place.

He said that although various farmers willingly offered their farms for the land redistribution process more than five years ago, none of them received any compensation so far. He said this delay will not build trust in the government, but in fact cultivates mistrust.

The Chairperson of the Soutpansberg District Agricultural Union, Mr. Gideon Meiring, said the doors of the TAU-SA Northern Region are still open, but attitudes as displayed by officials during Friday’s meeting, makes it very difficult to continue with the process. Mr Meiring called on the MEC and the National Minister to address this problem urgently. Last Friday’s meeting was called in connection with a claim by the Muhovha community.