Giyani - Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Richard Baloyi has witnessed the signing of an agreement that will see the Giyani local municipality in Limpopo using tribal land to develop the area.
Following years of negotiation, the Mavunda Traditional Authority, under the leadership of Hosi Pheni Ngove, signed a public-private partnership agreement with the municipality over the weekend, allowing the municipality to use its land, which is near the local CBD.
“Traditional communities have rights to developed areas. This can only happen if their leaders could release land for development just like Hosi Ngove did… Those who have the land should do so with a full understanding that theirs is to release it for development,” said Baloyi.
The agreement will not only see the creation of jobs, but will also ease up years of backlog in residential sites for Giyani residents – an issue that has been hindering the growth of the municipality.
“Mavunda Traditional Authority agrees on a public-partnership to make land available to Greater Giyani municipality for developmental purposes,” said Hosi Ngove, reading the agreement.
“In order to achieve the set objectives, Mavunda Traditional Authority and Giyani municipality further resolve to work together… This includes assuming respective developmental functions that will bring change to the current use and the condition of the land.”
Hosi Ngove further promised to create more than 1 000 jobs “directly or indirectly” before the end of the year within his tribal authority.
“What I mean by ‘directly and indirectly’ is that some of the jobs will be created through the partnership while some will be created through the use of the resources that we already have,” he said.
Giyani local municipality mayor Pat Hlungwani thanked the tribal authority for agreeing to release the land for development and promised that the lives of Giyani residents will improve for the better. – SAnews.gov.za
