MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The Tarka community's land claim, launched in 1997 by former tenants or their direct descendants for land rights lost in the area, is progressing well.
On Tuesday, 19 March a number of Da Nova residents met Ward 6 councillor, Mark Furness, deputy mayor Dirk Kotzé, municipal manager Adv Thys Giliomee and executive management personnel to discuss their concerns about the proposed settlement of land claim beneficiaries on a number of identified erven directly bordering the suburb.
They expressed several concerns and the conditions of the recommendations as approved by council were discussed in full.
It was agreed that Councillor Furness would facilitate a follow-up meeting with the group, who were also given the assurance by the municipal manager that the integrity of the remainder of the green belt will most probably be protected.
This portion of Tarka's development, which includes a number of single residential erven, was approved for residential development as far back as 2012.
A number of residential sites were never sold or developed by the municipality and are still vacant.
These sites are now offered to the beneficiaries of the land claim.
Council on 26 July 2018 approved an amendment of a previous resolution to finalise the Tarka Restoration (Community) Land Claim at the request of the Land Claims Commissioner.
Approval was granted for the release and alienation of 28 serviced and eight unserviced erven situated in Tarka as well as nine erven in Extension 6 in Mossel Bay.
These erven will be alienated at a discounted, differentiated rate.
A reversion condition will be included in the Deed of Sale as well as in the Title Deed that no beneficiary will be entitled to sell the property within ten years of registration to any person other than a co-claimant, failing which the property will revert back to the municipality.
Furthermore, the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development will be liable for all the costs of the town planning, environmental authorisation, surveying, legal application, including advertisement costs, public participation meetings and the transfer and service connection costs.
It was furthermore concluded that all connector service infrastructure not provided up to the erf boundaries will be at the cost of the department.
No transfer to beneficiaries will take place prior to all services having been installed, and no structures or houses, which cannot be approved in terms of the National Building Regulations, may be erected on the erven. Likewise, no occupation of structures may happen before the relevant occupation certificates have been issued for the specific sites.As the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development will be the developer, no communal property association was required.
Furthermore, it was stipulated that no beneficiary will be allowed to alter or in any way disturb the existing services on the specific property. Strict building guidelines will also apply.
The initial number of claimants since the claim was initially registered dropped from 60 to 36. The 36 have finally accepted the erven offered to them.
As part of their commitment to public participation, councillors and the municipal executive met a number of residents of Da Nova. Photo: Nickey le Roux
Work is progressing well on a stormwater line in the Tarka area. It was noted that the earthworks were not related to the land claims process. Photo: Nickey le Roux
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