No decision on Sol land policy
THE SOL Plaatje Municipality has, after months of deliberation, once again postponed the adoption of its Policy on Land and Other Immovable Capital Assets, which once implemented will see the lifting of the moratorium on the processing of applications for land by churches.
The policy is expected to address the issue of land for churches in the city and follows several public participation meetings held in May and June this year.
More than 200 applications for land have been received from church organisations in Kimberley.
In terms of the White Paper on South African Land Policy, the municipality’s land policy must deal with the injustices of racially-based land dispossession, the inequitable distribution of land ownership, the need for security of tenure for all, the need for sustainable use of land, the need for rapid release of land for development, the need to record and register all rights in property and the need to administer public land in an effective manner.
A report on Sol Plaatje’s current land policy points out that while all these issues have been addressed, there has been an overwhelming need for church land within the wider municipal area, which has necessitated the need for a review of the current policy.
Among the amendments that have been proposed is the promotion of the acquisition of land, asset ownership and development by broad-based black economic empowerment entities and special affirmative measures towards BBBEEs to ensure fairness in the disposal process of land or other immovable assets.
Preference will also be given to bids that support economic development initiatives including tourism, manufacturing and renewable energy projects.
Streets, lanes and public open spaces which are regarded as a burden will be leased or sold to adjacent owners at full market value.
The municipality can also grant a right to use, control or manage a capital asset once a public participation process has been followed if the value of the asset is more than R1 million.
All costs involved including survey, rezoning, sub-division, consolidation, advertisements, relocation or provision of services will be borne by the applicant.
Regarding land for social benefit organisations, this will not be sold outright but may be leased for five years for less than its market value and thereafter if they have developed the erven, they will be given the first option to purchase the land. The selling price or lease tariff will be 30 percent of the market value.
The lease tariff for assets to places of worship will be one percent of market value. Places of worship and social benefit organisations must satisfy the municipality of its authenticity.
It was, however, warned in the report that land was a finite resource.
“Although the review of the policy makes reasonable consideration for non-profit organisations (church, crèches, soup kitchen, community-driven health care facilities, vulnerable groups’ organisations etc), it must be observed that the municipal land ownership in our municipal area is highly limited. The municipality must ensure that it exercises caution in the administration of land (lease or transfer).”
Among the issues raised during the public participation meetings was the erection of illegal shanty churches. Concerns were raised about the allocation of alternative land parcels for churches that have invaded vacant municipal-owned land. It was also pointed out that in some cases, churches have erected perimeter fences on municipalowned land claiming that this was to keep out undesirable elements and reduce littering and crime.
The issue of councillors giving consent in the past to churches to use vacant land as well as the fact that applications for land often date back many years as a result of the moratorium on the processing of church applications, was also raised.
The process around the need for permission to hold church crusades was also raised, as well as the emergence of “fly-by-night” churches.