Ga-Kgapane - Deputy Rural Development and Land Reform Minister, Lechesa Tsenoli, has warned
communities receiving land claim compensation to invest their money in important things like their children's education and be careful of opportunists wanting to take advantage of them.
"As government, we know that the money that we are giving to our people who suffered from forced removals cannot totally take away their bitter memories, but we hope that they must invest this money towards the education of their children," said Lechesa.
He warned that beneficiaries should keep their distance from loan sharks.
"We know that those who offer unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals might come here to take advantage of you, but we are urging you to keep a distance from those individuals," he said.
He was speaking to the residents of Maapana in Ga-Kgapane, outside Ga-Modjadji in Limpopo on Sunday were he handed over land claim compensation vouchers worth more than R6 million to 120 beneficiaries.
The compensation vouchers came as a result of a claim lodged by Alpheus Molate Mohale on behalf of the Maapana community on portion 8 of the farm Meidingen 398 LT located within the Greater Letaba Municipality in Limpopo in 1998.
The Regional Land Claims Commissioner of Limpopo verified a total of 120 claimants in 2009 after conducting oral research which revealed that the Maapana people in the Duiwelsoof area were subjected to the labour tenancy system which was put into practice as from 1930's.
Through the system, they were registered on farms as labour tenants or occupiers of land who offered their labour to the registered owner and received compensation in the form of residence on the same farms.
According to the chairperson of Maapana Community, Lawrence Mohlaloganyi, the name Maapana was the name given to the grandson of Mokoto, who was the last male chief of Modjadji community.
"Maapana's father was Mokwidikwidi who was the son of Mokoto and Maapana was given portion 4 of Meidingen to rule as headman in the 18th century," he said.
Asked about the name Meidingen, Mohlaloganyi said: "This name came with the Germans when they arrived on the farm in 1883 and the place was known as Modjadji Ga-Maapana since the headman was Maapana."
He said the generation before him stayed there until 1975 when the apartheid regime ordered them to vacate their ancestral land by force so that a white-owned coffee plantation could be established.
Mohlaloganyi, who received a land compensation voucher of R54 650, said no formal notice was given to the people by the apartheid government.
His sentiments were echoed by another victim of force removal who received the land claim voucher, Betty Maruping Khathe.
"I will never forget the day we were chased away from our land. It was raining and we were never given time to pack our belongings or let alone be assisted with transport, when we arrived here (now the Maapana village) we did not sleep and it was still raining.
"Now I am very excited that our government saw it necessary to bring our dignity as well as to make us to forget those bitter memories with this financial compensation," said Khathe.
