Sakhisizwe residents continue to embroil themselves in a battle field for land.

48 beneficiaries received land from the government for residential and development purposes.

Currently beneficiaries are said to have increased to 52 members, but some of the original beneficiaries have since passed on.

Seskhona Newspaper managed to get members from two divided groups and hear their story.

The other group wanted to respond to the allegations of them selling stands illegally.

“We are not selling the stands illegally.

“We also have the right as the beneficiaries and some of us are the children of the beneficiaries who passed on,” said one of the elderly woman who is a beneficiary.

They blamed the other group for wanting to eat the money alone through social beneficiary programmes by companies such as Sasol, Eskom and Elikhulu.

There are missing monies and no one wants to tell us what happened,” they continued.

Seskhona Newspaper was finally invited by some of the beneficiaries to a meeting between the Land
Affairs and beneficiaries.
The items on the agenda were as follows:
• Land being sold.
• How to evict those who bought the land.
• Allocation of RDP houses.
• Sasol servitude was paid, but the community did not see the money and the reason for it to be paid once off .
• Boreholes money not seen by the beneficiaries.
• Money promised for one household, one hector.
• Changing the constitution.
• When the land was bought there were tractors, other equipment’s and R280 000, of which all of them are missing, including the money.
During the meeting, the Department of Land Affairs requested Seskhona Newspaper journalists to excuse themselves and said they will get feedback from the spokesperson.

One of the attendees said he does not see anything wrong because all of them benefited one way or
another.

“If they want to arrest us, they should start at the beginning and we will all be arrested,” he said.

Capt Mishack Mhlanga from Evander Police Station confirmed that a case of illegal selling of stands was opened.

Govan Mbeki Municipality was also contacted to get confirmation on whether the land is privately owned.

GMM Spokesperson, Mr Bheki Kubheka confirmed that the land is privately owned and their responsibility
is only to provide services.

Sakhisizwe residents also complained that when companies bring projects in their area, they do not get employed.

The Department of Land Affairs was not available to give feedback on the meeting.