Some land claimants in Mankweng, outside Polokwane, are at loggerheads with the University of Limpopo over a piece of land that the institute has used for experiential farming.
The Malepeperu Communal Property Association says it successfully claimed more than two thousand hectares in 1998.
The community was dispossessed of its land during the apartheid era.
The claimants accuse the University of refusing to give them the title deeds despite directives from the Land Reform Department.
They say, “When we try to engage with the university, they are dragging their playing zigzag because today we agree, then next they change their mind. We really need that land and the title deed because our community has been removed from that land. We want to be the owner.”
Meanwhile, the university’s spokesperson Victor Kgomoeswana says they’ve taken the matter to court.
“The university went to court to find out if the court cannot rule on the land claim. It also took the matter to the council to ask the council to consider the different options that were presented by the community. While we wait for that, we will appeal to the community to both go the legal route and wait for the court to rule on the matter or negotiate with the university.”
