Commission denies undertaking on land claims list

On the same day the land claims commission issued a press release saying it will review and degazette claims for which there are no claim forms, the commission’s communication manager denied that there was ever an undertaking to publish a final list of land claims.
Farmer’s Weekly reported that on 1 May Tshepo Diale, an official from the commission’s communications department, confirmed chief land claims commissioner Blessing Mphela had undertaken to publish a list of all outstanding land claims by the end of July.
This undertaking was made at an April meeting with Agri SA’s transformation committee.
Less than a month later the commission’s communications manager, Pulane Molefe, denied such an undertaking, when asked about the progress with the list. “There was no such undertaking,” said Molefe. “A lot of claims are still being investigated and processed and until that’s concluded the publication of such a list isn’t possible.”
According to Agri SA deputy president Dr Theo de Jager, who attended the meeting with Mphela, the undertaking to publish a list was made and it was said it would be done by the end of July. “We have a recording of the meeting,” he added.
De Jager said it would be a big disappointment if the commission suddenly goes back on its undertaking.
“The news of the list was like a fresh breeze because it brought new hope for possible investment and trade in land. If a senior member of the commission now says it’s not the case, it once again shows the bad communication within the commission.”
Molefe said there was no time frame or cut-off date for the degazetting of claims. – Drieka Burger