Winterveldt dispute - parliamentary statement
(24 May 2005)Later, however, the city of Tshwane decided that it would like to establish a township in the area and offered land owners R47 300 for their properties. The owners, many of whom are black, felt that this amount was insufficient given that the rental income as well as the structures on their land far exceeded this sum. At this point the city already threatened expropriation of land. From the outset if appears that the predetermined outcome sought by the city would be expropriation. Various attempts to communicate with the city, provincial Government and the national Minister, as well as the President, were unsuccessful and now these black landowners are being forcefully deprived of their land.
This case, like that of the people of the Richtersveld, expose a startling contradiction between Government’s promises of redressing past wrongs whilst protecting current landownership. We have often heard that the goal of Government policy is to increase black land ownership, but here we have a startling example of the exact opposite being done, and with incredible cold-hearted determination. It is sad contradiction that the same city would pursue a cosmetic name-change, supposedly to redress the wrongs of the past, but doesn’t see its way clear to protect black landownership.
