Issued by: Minister of Land Affairs
UNIQUE LAND REFORM MEASURE BY GAUTENG GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES
A unique agreement has been reached by the Eastern Gauteng Services Council (EGSC) and the Vaal Marina Local Area Committee (LAC). The EGSC, on being approached by the LAC with regard to problems being experienced in trying to formalise the settlement of Koppies on privately owned land next to the Vaal Marina settlement, proposed to settle these matters by offering the owner the option to exchange the properties for an amount of R297 414.20 which the Council was claiming from him.
With the full backing of the Gauteng Government, the EGSC thus acquired five properties, a servitude and tarred roads in return for debt owed to the EGSC. Importantly, this acquisition will provide security of tenure to some 1000 families who have been living on the privately owned land for some 20 years without any tenure security.
The Ministry of Land Affairs wishes to commend the LAC, the EGSC and the Gauteng Government for this innovative initiative, which will fittingly be celebrated on Freedom Day at Vaal Marina by Land and Housing MEC Dan Mofokeng and the communities involved. This measure forms part and parcel of land reform, and we would like to encourage the Gauteng Government to continue with such excellent work.
Issued by the Ministry of Land Affairs, 26 April 1996