Pretoria - Government, members of the N'wandlamharhi Communal Property Association (CPA) and the previous land owners of the internationally renowned Mala Mala private game reserve in Mpumalanga have reached an agreement.
The agreement, which was reached on Saturday, will see 2 000 households benefitting from the transfer of the game reserve to the community.
The settlement of the claim was on 13 184ha of land previously occupied by the Nhlangwisweni communities in the early 1800s.
A transitional agreement allows the current Mala Mala operating company to continue to manage the business going forward, while negotiating the business partnership.
During this period the community will receive an amount of R700 000 occupational rental per month, according to the Department of Rural Development.
As part of the first phase of the broader Sabi Sand Game Reserve claim, the state has paid R1.1billion for the acquisition of the Mala-Mala Game Reserve, while the remaining portions will be dealt with in different phases.
Rural Development Minister Gugile Nkwinti says government’s interest was to ensure a win-win partnership going forward.
“The game reserves holds part of our heritage as South Africans, for us the key issue in settling this claim is about social investment, and as government we believe we have made the right decision with the Mala Mala land hand over,” Minister Nkwiti said.
Chairperson of the N’wandlamharhi CPA says the deal has the potential to bring change in the lives of their people, including the neighbouring communities, who stand to benefit from job opportunities emanating out of the business. - SAnews.gov.za
