Limpopo farm expropriated
20/01/2008 23:03  - (SA)  

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Sydney Masinga

Polokwane - Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana has given the go-ahead for a Limpopo farm to be expropriated after it was liquidated and the liquidators refused to bring down the price.

Liquidators Sechaba Trust wanted to sell Callais 226KT in Hoedspruit for R19m, whereas government was only willing to pay R13m.

Dries Joubert, chair of the northern branch of the Transvaal Agricultural Union (TAU-SA North) said the farmer who previously owned the farm had been willing to sell the farm as far back as 1998 for R12m, but that the provincial land claims commission had delayed negotiations until 2005.

Joubert said the land claim against Callais 226KT was only formally gazetted in 2000 and the land claims commission only made an offer to buy it five years later, in 2005.

Debts piled up

"During all those years, the debts were piling up against the farm, until it was liquidated in 2006," he said.

Agriculture and Land Affairs spokesperson Pulane Molefe confirmed that the Department served the expropriation order because Sechaba Trust would not bring down its price.

"We took possession of the farm on January 11, and we will later transfer it over to the Letebele Mpuru and Maraba Communities, who were dispossessed of their rights to the land in 1965," said Molefe.

In terms of the Restitution of the Land Rights Act, the Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister has the authority to expropriate land for restitution purposes if they are convinced that the process is being delayed without good reason.

"We have already deposited more than R10m into Sechaba Trust's bank account, which amounts to 80% of the total amount to be paid by the state for the property.

The outstanding amount will be paid in due course," Molefe said.

The CEO of Sechaba Trust was not available for comment on Friday and his personal assistant, who would only identify herself as Renata, was only prepared to take a message for when he returned to work this week.

She confirmed, however, that Sechaba Trust had refused to bring down their price, saying independent valuators had said the land was worth R19m.

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