PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON DEFEFNCE

DRAFT REPORT OF INSPECTION VISIT

24 Aug 2005 Wallmannstahl


A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


The Portfolio Committee on Defence visited Wallmannstah on Wednesday, 24 August 2005 to ascertain the size and scope of the land claim of the Wallmannstahl community. The land claims against the Department of Defence amounts to 311 270 hectares, whilst the claims of the Wallmannstahl community amounts to 1 628 hectares.


The Wallmannstahl land claim concerned four areas: Buffelsdrift, Wallmannstahl West (‘Avenues'), Wallmannstahl East (Jericho) and Wallmannstahl Central strip. A portion of Buffelsdrift was used as grazing land for game by the Bewarea hunting club. Three portions of land in Wallmannstahl West were handed-over to the community. Wallmannstahl East was in the process of being completed, while the middle area was used by the SANDF.


B. KEY FINDINGS

The following findings were made:


1. There was a communication gap between the DPW, DLA, DoD and the community, which was the major reason for the claims process to be concluded.


2. The DoD needs to quantified the 'strategic purposes', which might be perceived as a smokescreen by the community.


C. BUFFELSDRIFT


The Bewarea club built a fence that cuts across the land that was at the centre of the claim. The chairperson of this club is General Meiring, the former Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). There was also an electricity sub-station and electrical pylons on the land. It was argued by Escom that the area under the electric wires should be a no-go area, but the community is convinced that it could be used for grazing. The community agreed that the area should not be used for housing.


Mr Schalkwyk of the Department of Land affairs confirmed that the fence to protect the power line and that a servitude could be registered, if the claimants agreed not to interfere with the power station. This was acceptable to the claimants. He also stated that Buffelsdrift was handed-over to the claimants and that the Bewarea club will be requested to remove its fence, which was used to control the movements of the game.


D. WALLMANNSTAHL WEST (AVENUES)

This area was not contested, because three portions were handed over to the community.


E. WALLMANNSTAHL EAST (JERICHO)


The DoD agreed to hand this area of land to the claimants. The claimants are however waiting for the DLA to remove white squatters from the land, before they occupy the land. The size of the area is about 400 hectares and it included the Pienaars River, which is the main source of water for the farming community.


F. WALLMANNSTAHL CENTRAL STRIP


The DoE) used the strip of land (approximate400 hectares) to connect the Joint Support Base Wonderboom with its training area and the Piet Joubert military base. The fences that were erected by the DoD forced the claimants to redirect their cattle approximately 11,5 km to reach the Pienaars river for drinking water. The claimants stated that this strip of land was published in the government gazette as a land claim, however the DoD has not yet release the land, which they argued is of strategic importance, i.e. as training and storage of equipment.


The claimants and the DoD were in the process of concluding an agreement, but the clause of dispute was that the DoD wanted fence the 400 hectares in. The claimants were prepared to allow the DoD to use the current road as a corridor, which would link the different military areas, but not the whole 400 hectares. This corridor should not be fenced in, so that the claimants could have access to the river for their cattle.


G. RECOMMENDATIONS


1.The DoD should make an assessment to determine whether they really need the strip of 400 hectares for strategic purposes or whether the access road would be sufficient to link the different military areas.


2. The remaining snags (e.g. squatters and fences) should be addressed by the department of Land Affairs, so that the Wallmannstahl community could return to the land.


APPENDIX A

PC Defence Delegation

1. Mr S B Ntuli - Delegation leader


2. Mr O E Monareng - Member


3. MrVBNdlovu - Member

4. Mr G Campher - Committee Secretary


Wallmannstahl Representatives


1. Mr S Maponya - Treasurer : Wallmannstahl Claims Committee


2. Mr B P Motswenyame - Chair: Wailmannstahl Claims Committee


3. Mr K W Mmoledi - Member: Wallmannstahl Claims Committee


Department of Defence Representatives

  1. Brig. Gen BJ Moerane - Director : Facilities Support Management
  2. Brig.Gen E Navratil - Director : Facilities
  3. Col JP van Heerden - Defence Fixed Assets
  4. Lt-Col SB Ramokgadi - Acting Officer Commanding : JSB Wonderboom


Department of Public Works Representative


1. Mr FX Mbuli - Deputy Director: Land Reform


Department of Land Affairs Representatives


2. Mr CJ Schalkwyk - Director: State Land Management


3. Mr B Mphela - Regional Land Commissioner (N-West & Gauteng)


4. Ms N Khuswayo - Land Commission


5. Ms J Molefe - Land Commission

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