Africa Wild

News24: http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/ ... m-20130206


2013-02-06 13:11

Johannesburg - The Constitutional Court is expected to rule on a land claim against the Mala Mala private game reserve in Limpopo, Beeld reported on Wednesday.

Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng said on Tuesday the court had to decide whether the park's approximately 13 000ha should be returned to a local community, or whether the government's offer to the owners of approximately R460m for the reserve and its improvements was fair.

The R460m comprises R395m for the land, at R30 000/ha, and R66m for the improvements, which includes all buildings in the park.

The claimants are the Mhlanganisweni community. The owners, four companies controlled mainly by Michael Rattray and his family, were not disputing the claim's validity.

However, the community had said it did not want the compensation, but the land back.

The owners said the government's offer of R30 000/ha was unfairly low and that R70 000/ha was the correct market value.

The Land Claims Court earlier found the government would not be able to pay the reserve's owners their asking price.

It ruled the claimants should receive monetary compensation rather than have the land returned.

The land claimants appealed to Mogoeng against this order.

Mogoeng on Tuesday ordered all parties to appear in the Constitutional Court to submit oral petitions for the court to make a final ruling on whether the claimants should get the money or the land.

There was no indication of when the court would make its ruling.
- SAPA

Yah yah, lets not get political here!!

2013-06-23 11:40

Johannesburg - Top wildlife tycoons Michael Rattray and Dave Varty are embroiled in a dispute that could influence the future of land reform policy.

According to the Sunday Times, the Mhlanganisweni community are claiming the land on which Rattray’s luxury MalaMala reserve has been developed. Varty, who owns neighbouring Londolozi, has meanwhile agreed to run MalaMala on behalf of the claimants if they win. Dave Evans, a MalaMala director, said they were surprised when Varty struck a deal with the Mhlanganisweni as “Londolozi never advised us that they were considering coming in on behalf of the claimants”.

Rattray agreed to sell the land but earlier this year the Land Claims Court said the claim was not feasible – largely because of disagreement over the price. Rattray wants nearly R800 million. The Mhlanganisweni want the state to expropriate the land for R460 million, to offset the “historical” benefits Rattray derived from apartheid.

The matter is now before the Constitutional Court.

That's Varty being true to form (0) (0)

Here's the old link:

https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.p ... ala#p77024

I know this has been an ongoing situation but looks like a deal is nearly done. Some people are having a conniption about it, but what will the reality actually be after it changes hands?

http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2013 ... me-reserve

mouseinthehouse wrote:I know this has been an ongoing situation but looks like a deal is nearly done. Some people are having a "conniption" about it, but what will the reality actually be after it changes hands?

http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2013 ... me-reserve

have not been able to access the link ........
but
love the use of that word - "conniption"

The government will buy the exclusive Mala Mala Game Reserve, Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti said on Tuesday.


"We are going to buy Mala Mala, but we are going to ask them [the owners] to stay on," he said at a three-day National House of Traditional Leaders lekgotla.

The "land ownership structure" in South Africa needed to change, but there was no need for the economic use of the land to be changed.

The 13 000 hectare game reserve is currently subject to a land claim by the Mhlanganisweni community.

Business Day reported in April that the owners of the land had valued it at R900 million, but that Nkwiniti's department was prepared to pay only R460m for the resort.

The 2 000-strong Mhlanganisweni community was removed during the apartheid era.

The battle about the price is before the Constitutional Court, which has to determine what is fair and equitable.

According to Business Day, the regional land claims commissioner had offered R760m for the land, but this offer had not been approved by the ministry.


The Department's policy is to maintain conservation land as conservation land, end of story. The owners are going to coin it here, and stay on as managers, so no need for a conniption other than another weird way of tax money going to the tribal elders/chiefs, and hopefully to the community.

Quite rightfully so RP, more food for thought!!!

We have very similar equations happening with
our rhino decimation!!

"When the going get's rough the tough get going",
with little regard for those that might follow.

Very sad!

All I can say is Eish this is ominous news - next we will have goats and cows grazing alongside antelope and of course like the Makuleke land claim they will allow trophy hunting!!!!

http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2013 ... me-reserve