Houses, land given to Kurland residents in Plett
RDP houses and land to farm on are among the things residents from Kurland in Plettenburg Bay have to look forward to after many years of begging for assistance.
About 1,000 people attended the official handover of the land to the Bitou municipality by department of agriculture, land reform and rural development minister Thoko Didiza on Thursday.
Didiza was accompanied by deputy minister Mcebisi Skwatsha, Bitou mayor Claude Terblanche and a number of councillors.
In 2007, the land was leased to resident Simon Jacobs for farming. However, this project did not materialise due to various challenges along the way.
The community then requested RDP houses be built.
Negotiations between the municipality and the department began in 2018 and two years later the agreement was signed.
The land will now be developed to accommodate 1,500 low-cost homes and other community services.
Jacobs will, meanwhile, still have 10 hectares of land for agriculture.
Beneficiaries include people over the age of 60, people with disabilities and their caretakers, and military veterans.
The handover took place at the Kurland sports field.
Didiza said the aim was to bring dignity back to the community.
“Our job is to provide for all our people, ensuring they benefit equally from the wealth of this country,” she said.
Skwatsha said it was necessary to give people land and to fulfil all the promises made when they visited the area some months back.
“This is not our first time coming to this town. In the past, we have given farmers vouchers, farming materials, and more. We promised to continue to deliver, and here we are doing just that,” he said.
Terblanche said it was an emotional day for the community, adding that the people of Kurland would also benefit from agricultural programmes.
“This means a lot to the people as housing has been scarce in the area due to the unavailability of land. They are excited to see this materialise.”
Community leader and Plett farmer Steven Gelembe said he was happy to see the minister in town, fulfilling promises.
Another land activist from the Garden Route district, Sanfred Aklink, said he was happy to see land given back to the people — and this gave him hope that one day they would get it right in the Kannaland municipality.