The Portfolio Committee on Rural Development and Land Reform continued its nationwide public hearings in relation to the Communal Property Associations (CPA) Bill [B12-2017] in Rustenburg, North West province, earlier this week.
The regional office of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform in the North West province was lambasted by a number of CPAs beneficiaries who spoke not only of the department’s failure to intervene in CPAs complaints, but also pointed out that collusion between department officials and CPAs executive committees was the main reason for the CPAs failure.
Ms Baby Mokgeledisa, one of the beneficiaries of a CPA located in Putfontein, strongly spoke out against the department and the local Chief who fail to represent the true aspirations of the CPAs communities by allowing mining operations on the properties of beneficiaries without consultation. Ms Mokgeledisa believes that one of these companies belong to a family member of the Regional Chief Director in the department, Mr Lengane Bogatsu.
Ms Mokgeledisa said instead of getting assistance with regard to the various challenges faced by her CPA, they are often met with threats of placing the CPA under administration by department officials.
The Portfolio Committee also heard about the unruly, unaccountable and fraudulent activities of CPAs executives who purposefully delay meetings to avoid appointing new executive committees, which should have been appointed upon the end of the term of the committee. CPAs beneficiaries are of the opinion that CPAs executives are protected by officials within the department who receive kickbacks from CPAs grants money.
Beneficiaries believe that the appointment of a registrar from the department will not remedy the situation that CPAs find themselves in, that this will allow administrators to continue exploiting CPAs properties for their own benefit and allow for the continuation of fraudulent activities within the CPAs.
The Committee said political interference is an issue that has been raised throughout the public hearings held thus far (in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Limpopo).
Mr Bogatsu was not allowed to finish his response to the meeting amid angry outbursts from the CPAs beneficiaries.
The Committee said an urgent intervention is needed in the North West CPAs and requested the department to submit a report that speaks to the challenges faced by CPAs and how these challenges will be addressed, within 30 days.
The Committee Chairperson, Ms Phumuzile Ngwenya-Mabila, encouraged the North West’s CPAs beneficiaries to continue challenging fraud, corruption and injustice created by departments, to never give up the fight for dignified and sustainable livelihoods; and advised department officials to improve their services to the people of the North West province.
CPAs beneficiaries were further encouraged to forward any additional recommendations, suggestions or criticisms of the proposed amendments to the Committee as soon as possible.
By Felicia Lombard
16 August 2017
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