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The HDA is pleased to announce that 3 387 hectares of land have been approved by the minister of rural development and land reform for release for human settlements. The land comprises three properties in Rustenburg and Brits.
According to the HDA’s land acquisition manager, Lucien Rakgaole, the HDA was approached by the Rustenburg and Madibeng municipalities in 2010 to facilitate the release of approximately 4 100 hectares of state land for human settlement development. “On the basis of this, the HDA formally requested the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) in August 2010 to release the properties,” Rakgaole said.
There have been many engagements between the DRDLR and the HDA to facilitate the formal release of the properties, and Rakgaole explained that “the HDA had to obtain community resolutions, valuations of the properties, approvals for proposed transfer of properties to municipalities, etc”.
The transactions were also discussed at length by the Joint Committee on the Release of State Land. The committee was established in terms of a delivery agreement – relating to the release of state land for human settlements – concluded between the ministers responsible for human settlement, rural development and land reform, public works, and public enterprises.
This land comprises two properties in the Rustenburg municipality measuring 1 366 and 1 533 hectares, and one in Madibeng municipality measuring 488 hectares. All three properties are occupied, with residents having built their own homes – all that is outstanding is security of tenure because land ownership is unresolved. The release of these properties for human settlements presents an opportunity for the communities to obtain ownership of the occupied stands. In Madibeng 10 000 stands have been surveyed.
The two properties in Rustenburg also require land ownership issues to be resolved in order for transfer of stands to the residents and to allow for future expansion of the townships as planned.
