A dispute over who may occupy land in areas under control of a traditional leader flared up in Maila Lagos village. A resident is claiming that the local vhamusanda had sold his site to another person, who has now gone ahead and built a house in front of his own house.
Mr Watson Phophi, who is claiming to be a resident of Lagos village, alleged that Vhamusanda Vho-Joshua Nthabalala had sold his stand to another man without having consulted him. He complained that he had built a two-room house on the site, which he now had to share with another man.
Phophi admitted that he had received notice from Nthabalala to vacate the stand. He was surprised to see that someone else then started to build a house on his stand, and he was even prevented from accessing what he believed to be his property. Phophi said that when he enquired from the traditional leader what was happening, he was told that the site had been sold.
According to a source in the community, the relationship between the local traditional leader and residents is in the balance. Some residents accuse Nthabalala of opposing development because he feels residents do not respect him as their leader.
"We went to him to ask if he knows the people that are building houses on our stand. He said he can't say he doesn't and cannot say he knows them, because it will stir conflict in the community. He says people have a right to land, but there are legal procedures that need to be followed," the resident said.
Vhamusanda Nthabalala strongly denied allegations of impropriety. He said that various procedures were entrenched in the allocation of land to people. "Our people have got a right to know who is allocated land, and they are part and parcel of the decision-making process," he said.
Nthabalala said that Phophi had been given permission to occupy the stand in 2016. He had then relocated to Nzhelele, after his mother had passed on. "We summoned him to the royal kraal, but he didn't turn up," said Nthabalala.
Nthabalala explained that when Phophi had bought the stand, the price had been set at R4 500, but he had only paid a R1 500 deposit. He had not made further payments and Phophi had not received the necessary Permission to Occupy (PTO) certificate, said Nthabalala.
"I have the right to sell the stand to the people who want the stand," said Nthabalala. He said that only after Phophi had seen that the new owner had started with the foundation of his house that he had put a roof on his two-room house.