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The DA notes the handover of title deeds by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to the Roka Lebea Tribe in Ga Seroka  Sekhukhune.

However, this community and many others in the province have lodged their claims more than 20 years ago and we believe that the department needs to urgently speed up the delivery of title deeds to communities and individuals - just as has been done in the  DA-run Western Cape and in other municipalities and Metros where the DA governs.

The Roka Lebae Tribe has been occupying the 1 400 hectares of land since 1800. The land claim was lodged by Kgoshigadi Seroka on the behalf of the tribe in 1998 along with many other tribes across the province and the The Roka Lebea tribe is the first community to receive their tittle deeds.

Limpopo has over 1 600 traditional leaders and 2 111 Headmen and Women and the DA is deeply concerned about government's slow pace of addressing land restitution that has led to land grabs of many unoccupied pieces of land across the province.

Poverty, unemployment and inequality still remains unacceptably high in Limpopo, specifically among women and  security of tenure in line with the Constitution is a means to economic liberation. It is quite fitting that the first title deed was handed over to a female leader and her community.

The DA continues to advocate for security of tenure  and other forms of ownership as guaranteed in Section 25 of The Constitution, to be safeguarded and fairly implemented by government.

It is ironic that Matabatha’s government is handing out title deeds whilst President Cyril Ramaphosa’s new "New Dawn" champions expropriation without compensation and the transferal of land to government as the corner stone of radical economic transformation.

Issued by DA