Occupancy of farm leads to tussle

Interdict prevents cattle from grazing on land

embers of the Mlungisi Farmers

’ Association are not happy with the provincial public works department s

’ court interdict preventing their livestock from grazing at Two Trees Farm, which they have used for years.

The association, through its attorneys, filed papers with the Grahamstown high court stating reasons for the need to occupy the farm.

This followed a violent altercation in May between the current farm occupant, Ayanda Matiti, and the association, when they met to discuss issues related to the occupancy of the land.

The Rep reported (Group angry over farm s

’ occupation, May 29) that East London-based boxing promoter Matiti had pulled a gun on members of the association during a disagreement over the occupancy of the farm.

The association s chairperson, Zola

’

Magoqoza, said the altercation had resulted in all parties involved being called to the local police station after Matiti and the previous owner had opened cases against them, and it was that found none were the rightful occupants of the land at the time.“We then wrote to the regional public works office asking for the occupancy of the land and they rejected us, indicating that we had not followed procedure, which included the submission of a business plan and the filling in of an application form,” Magoqoza said.

We received communication in this regard

“no more than a week after we wrote to them, but what shocked us most was that the provincial

Mpublic works office granted Matiti caretakership of the land a week after our altercation.” Magoqoza said it was strange that the regional office had rejected their application and the provincial office had granted Matiti caretakership in such a short space of time.

This made us believe there was something

“weird about this whole land occupancy matter.

‘ ’

We however, have challenged the matter

“through our attorney, who was to file papers with the court stating our reasons for demanding occupancy of the farm.

We initially were under the impression that

“the land was owned by the local municipality because we have always been in communication with them seeking grazing land.

They had told us in the past that they were not “sure about which land belonged to them and were going to conduct a land audit, which we were still waiting for when Matiti moved onto the farm.”

The chairperson said the association would contest the matter until small-scale farmers of the area were provided with grazing land.

Department of public works spokesperson Vuyokazi Mbanjwa said the current occupant ha leased the land for 12 months, and according to their signed contract, no sub-letting would be permitted.

An application for the lease of land must be

“submitted in writing for consideration for those seeking to occupy land,” Mbanjwa said.

The entire property in question is allocated to “the current occupant.

In terms of the agreement, no sub-letting is

“permitted,” he said.