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‘No charge for land claims’

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District Six Working Committee (D6WC) representative Rasheda Samaai has rejected suggestions the committee are charging members for assistance in filling out their land claims forms. This comes after provincial land claims commissioner in the Western Cape, Michael Worsnip, implied that there was no need for a “middle man” within the restitution process. Worsnip was in studio on VOC In the Fast Lane on Monday, to explain the process of lodging a land claim.

According to Samaai, the D6WC had been consistent with their stance on the issue, since the body’s inception in April 2013. She stated the committee had never, and would never charge people for the filling in of forms.

Samaai said the commissioner’s statements had been a repeat of an address he had delivered at a D6WC meeting in May. That meeting was also attended by Western Cape Premier Helen Zille and Samaai said the public attendance was a sign that committee was “the peoples choice”.

“The mere presence of those dignitaries at the meeting was confirmation enough that the City of Cape Town land claims office, as well as the minister, acknowledging the D6WC as the legitimate and true representative of the D6 and Strand community’s restitution process,” she said.

She added that the D6WC were also the true representative of the people when it came to the ‘community claim’.

“When we registered as a non-profit company in September 2013, the public were made fully aware that we would be entering the second round of the restitution process as a community, rather than as individuals,” she said.

The working committee is currently in the process of arranging a meeting with Worsnip’s office, whereby formal plans would be worked out as to how the community claims process would be dealt with, between their respective offices.

Samaai said the D6WC also agreed with the sentiments of Worsnip, who was adamant that those individuals who had previously accepted R17 000 and R40 000 payouts from government, would not be allowed to submit new claims. However, she noted there were other steps those individuals could take.

“They can still pursue their original claims, challenging the constitutionality of the payment that was made,” she noted. VOC (Mubeen Banderker)


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