The uMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) led by its provincial chairman Martin Dexter Mogatle have besieged the now privately-owned property, erf 6740 in the prime area of the town.
Invasions started on October 18, 2020. The veterans were initially given the piece of land by the former council and administration of Ga-Segonyana local municipality for residential purposes in 2013 through a council resolution. However, geological studies that were later carried out revealed that the area was dolomitic and therefore government under COGHSTA could not meet financial demands to service the area.
COGHSTA including the Geo Tech Council confirmed it had taken the necessary obligations to service the area and start building the houses for the veterans. That was the turning point of the municipality and the veterans’ tentative mutual agreement. The outcome of the geological report supported by COGSHTA engineers meant that the luck of the veterans was slowly shifting towards the present impasse.
When the municipality received the news of an unworkable site given to the veterans, it came with an alternative piece of land situated next to the prison to settle war veterans. The municipality then took a decision to dispose of the dolomitic land to the interested private developers through the legal channels. As was anticipated a private buyer and developer emerged and fully serviced the land, now in the fierce dispute.
A point of contention was and still is noted on the part of the municipality. Before taking the decision to sell the controversial piece of land, the municipality and COHGSTA should have consulted with the veterans about the engineers’ report on the projected residential area. Through consultations the whole saga would have been prevented and probably the veterans could have easily given in, in the direction of an alternative land. The way forward is to institute a thorough vetting exercise of veterans and determine the exact number that qualify for the scheme, thereafter concrete decisions could be taken.
The volatile politics of the region have taken the veterans’ land quagmire as a pawn in a game of chess where factional fighting has propelled tensions in their guise. The fierce divisions within the regional leadership of the African National Congress, that look like there is no immediate remedy, have taken sides and those loyal to the war veterans are fanning the rift saying, “Pay the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor and Pay God what belongs to God” while the other faction is saying “No legislation is cast on stones” leaving the dispute in a deep quandary.
The long standing unsettled political scores have vigorously resurfaced in the cynical and satirical sense. Legally this land no longer belongs to the municipality but to the private owner who has spent millions in servicing it to eventually recoup his expenses. As the police dragged cold feet to intervene expeditiously in the invasion of the property by veterans, witnessed the arrival of a no-nonsense armed security personnel hired by the new property owner who has taken the legal route to stabilise the situation.
With an interdict to refrain invaders, yet another interdict is due to empower him to remove the shanties planted in his premises. The police are also not being spared in the legal fight with the property owner for contemptuous response to stop the invasion. The provincial leadership has not officially intervened to resolve the impasse and veterans are adamant they cannot surrender their land struggle.
