Zuma hands over Mala Mala

[Sprocky]

2014-01-09

Johannesburg - The N’wandlamhlarhi Community Property Association (CPA) in Lillydale village near Hazyview in Mpumalanga are officially the owners of 13 184ha of land that includes the Mala Mala game reserve, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.

"After lengthy negotiations, the legal representatives of the land owners considered a settlement amount of R939,360,000, close to a billion rand, for the purchase of the land," said Zuma in a speech prepared for delivery in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga.

The CPA lodged claims on 21 properties consisting of 63 portions, measuring 65 000ha.

"I am pleased to note that the current landowners of the Mala Mala land have accepted the validity of the claim and have not declared any dispute about the merits of the claim."

"We are aware that the majority of claimants are currently living in... abject poverty. There are also high levels of unemployment. The success of this claim therefore brings hope to this community," he said.

Zuma said the Mala Mala owners would rent the property for R700 000 a month until January 2015 and they would be involved in a strategic partnership to transfer skills to the new beneficiaries to sustain the business.

- SAPA