BCM pays out R16m in compensation
Some property owners still waiting for their money
BUFFALO City Metro has paid R16-million to compensate owners of portions of land for the reconstruction of the Gonubie Main Road.
Another R3-million is still to be paid by the metro.
The land battle with the private owners became entangled in the need to consolidate all the land for the road reserve under BCM – some of which fell under the previous Amathole District Municipality (ADM).
The ADM had title to the original 25m wide road reserve, which had to be widened further to 36m to privately owned land.
The fight went on for years, and ADM only recently donated the land to BCM.
Only when this took place, could the road reserve – including the privately owned portions – be transferred into the ownership of BCM.
ADM’s spokesman Siyabulela Makunga said the municipality had no interest in the land as it was not required for the provision of any ADM services.
His BCM counterpart Samkelo Ngwenya said: “The donation and the transferring of land was done and consolidated for the construction of the Gonubie Main Road.”
As part of a court order obtained by the private owners involving the numerous pieces of land expropriated to widen the road was formalised based on the original proclamation of the road.
“I can add that we had to go through a painful route of expropriation as some of the owners got a little excited in how they demanded to be compensated,” Ngwenya said.
“Ultimately this is one project that is in the interest of the entire community of the metro and is important in attracting further future developments in and around it.”
While some landowners told the Daily Dispatch yesterday they had received their compensation, others said they had not received a cent.
Gonubie businessman Garry Rieger said: “They have paid for the first arbitration after we won the case for the extra land they took from us when they were constructing the Gonubie Main Road. They paid us a couple of months ago, about R3-million.”
Another compensated Gonubie resident who did not want to be named told the Dispatch: “I got paid – but not millions. I was paid about R400 000.”
However, an unhappy resident Eric Whitaker accused the metro of stealing their land as he had not been paid any money.
“They have stolen the land, and instead they claim that we donated the land but we have not done that. Others got paid as BCM admitted that indeed the land belonged to them.
“Most of the people received their money but we will not stop fighting and going to court because we are within our rights to do so. “We have title deeds. “They think they will get away with this but they won’t,” said Whitaker. —