Summit to place Limpopo land claim communities under spotlight

The economic growth of land-claimant communities will be one of the key issues discussed at an upcoming Economic Transformation Summit in Limpopo.

The ANC’s provincial leadership made an announcement on Monday afternoon that they would host the summit on November 19 and 20 in Phalaborwa.

Chairman of the ANC’s economic transformation portfolio committee Joe Mathebula said communities who had acquired land through governments land restitution programme would be invited to participate in the summit.

Mathebula was responding to questions on how the ruling party intended to address the underperformance of communities who were awarded land through government's land restitution programme.

In recent years there have been reports of infighting and conflicts amongst Communal Property Associations and boards of trustees meant to manage the affairs of those communities.

Mathebula said their inclusion in the summit was important because the aim of land restitution was to empower communities‚ adding that they would also invite beneficiaries who had succeeded in developing their land so that they couls share their models with those who were failing.

He said traditional leaders would be invited in their capacity as custodians of communal land in rural areas.

“We know that in order to unlock development for Limpopo land is going to play a key role‚” Mathebula said.

ANC provincial Chairman Stan Mathabatha said the summit would focus on bolstering township and village economies within the province.

Mathabatha said the province was currently not performing as well as it should due to global economic pressures but said the situation was not yet desperate.

- TMG Digital/SowetanLIVE