Eight (8) State-owned farms, adding up to an estimated 11,900 hectares are used for commercial activities in the Ba-Phalaborwa municipal area, without formal lease agreements.
The land is used for mining, game farming, tourism and industrial purposes.
Sihle Zikalala, Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, visited some of the companies on Tuesday as part of the Department’s Operation Bring Back (OBB).
Some of the companies visited are PMC, Bosveld Phosphates, Foskor, Castcrete, and Mopani Group companies.
The OBB is an initiative of the National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, aimed at restoring the state’s authority over the use of its immovable assets.
The engagements formed part of the Department’s efforts to address unauthorised occupation and ensure that State land is properly managed and generates appropriate revenue for the State.
Dagma Mamanyoha, Mayor of the Mopani District and Victor Rapatsa, were part of Zikalala’s delegation.
Zikalala also met with business owners and mine executives, emphasizing the need for affected entities to urgently regularize their occupation and land-use arrangements.
The entities were given six months to regularize their occupation, failing which further steps will be explored in accordance with the applicable legal and regulatory framework.
Picture: Supplied