CHIEFS IN LAND DISPUTE
Bakwena claim PSL club’s village
THE R60-million Kaizer Chiefs headquarters is among hundreds of properties in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni subject to a massive land claim by the Bakwena Ba Mare A Phogole community.
Kaizer Chiefs Village, as the vast property in Naturena, south of Johannesburg, is known, was officially opened by late former president Nelson Mandela in April 2002.
The club’s headquarters is among properties listed by Gauteng regional land claims commissioner Lebjane Maphutha as affected by Bakwena Ba Mare A Phogole’s land claim and given 60 days from earlier this month to make representations or risk being barred from doing so.
Maphutha warned property owners that the commission was guided by the principle of the primacy of restoration unless public interest considerations suggest otherwise.
From around the 1930s, Bakwena Ba Mare A Phogole were forcibly removed from their land, which is now mostly residential areas such as Naturena, Walkerville, Brackendowns in Alberton, Ekurhuleni, and around the Kliprivier Nature Reserve.
Shopping centres, churches, hotels, municipal, provincial and national government properties are also on the list.
Other properties include Nkosi’s Haven for HIV/Aids orphans in Alan Manor, south of Johannesburg, and the head office of the Red Ants Security, Relocation and Eviction Services in Eikenhof.
Most members of the Bakwena were relocated to Soweto and surrounding areas by colonial and apartheid authorities.
Bakwena Ba Mare A Phogole lodged their land claim in May 1995 following the passing of the Restitution of Land Rights Act in November 1994.
In an interview with City Press in July, club boss Kaizer Motaung revealed that the state-of-the-art Naturena village has five training grounds, a high-performance centre, a shop and a canteen.
Kaizer Chiefs Village also houses the club’s development players and junior teams.
Motaung announced a new phase which includes plans to build a hotel and rename the village Kaizer Chiefs City.
Jacob Ngakane, the Bakwena Ba Mare A Phogole committee chairman, was not available for comment yesterday but has previously said their land claim was “purposely” being delayed.
When approached for comment yesterday, Kaizer Chiefs’ Vina Maphosa said he was at a church service. Nkosi’s Haven director Gail Johnson said affected property owners would meet at Emperor’s Palace on Thursday.
Johnson said they had also handed the matter to their lawyers for consultation and direction after receiving a formal notification last Wednesday.
More than a decade ago, nearly 550 land claimants from another Johannesburg community, Sophiatown, each received R40 000 (over R21-million in total) as compensation for material and emotional loss suffered during violent forced removals in the period between the 1950s until the end of 1963.