The Department of Water and Sanitation has established a structure to address issues related to the use of the state-owned land and advance a healthy ecosystem of the water resource at the Hartbeespoort Dam.

This follows a stakeholder engagement meeting led by Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister, David Mahlobo, on Monday after a protracted racial row between the occupiers of state-owned land at the dam located in the Madibeng Local Municipality in the North West.

Mahlobo hosted the engagement with various stakeholders, including business owners, state institutions and civil society representing residents and other groupings that have interest around the land at the Hartbeespoort Dam.

The structure, said the department, will be led by the Deputy Minister and the North West Premier or a designate and will include business owners operating around the state-owned land, civil society organisations, community representatives, provincial and local government as well traditional leaders.

The Hartbeespoort Dam ha
s been a hub for business, tourism, and socio-economic activities for locals for decades. However, there has been on-going racial tension between the occupiers of the state-owned land who are conducting business and the locals.

Mahlobo met the business owners and the stakeholders to discuss the issues that are currently a bone of contention at the dam, and to also clarify the position of the department in relation to the policy on land around dams.

During the meeting, representatives from various stakeholders came together and had an opportunity to express their views on the ongoing tensions.

A mutual agreement to establish a structure to be led by the Ministry of Water and Sanitation was reached to expand on issues raised during the stakeholder engagement and pave the way for co-existence among different stakeholders with a purpose of resolving the issues and advancing economic growth.

Mahlobo condemned acts of violence that have been inflicted on some of the business owners and their businesses and call
ed on law enforcement agencies to ensure that the culprits face the full might of the law.

The Deputy Minister expressed his satisfaction at the deliberations, highlighting that he believes the structure will bring peace among the stakeholders.

‘We have had a fruitful meeting with different views from people with different backgrounds but there was a subsequent agreement to establish a structure that will deal decisively with the issues raised during the deliberations.

‘We are of the view that this dam, which has become a source of conflict can become a beacon of hope to many by bringing prosperity. It can also be a reflection of our unified and diversified democratic country, which is non-racist and non-sexist,’ Mahlobo said.

The structure is expected to hold its first sitting early next month.

Lease agreements

Mahlobo also addressed the issue of lease agreements on the state-owned land at the dam, which has been a contentious issue among some of the business owners.

Previously, some of the business o
wners had 99-year leases and have been in occupation of the land through many generations without any formal documents and authorisation from the state.

As a result, the department developed a Lease Policy which was finalised in 2020 to address previous gaps and to guide and provide a comprehensive framework for managing leases and has subsequently established a Lease Committee to assess and recommend lease applications for approvals to the delegated authority.

Between 2020 and 2022, the department approved four lease agreements for recreational purposes at the dam for a duration of between five and nine years and 11 months.

The department reported that it has issued an Expressions of Interest (EOI) to private or public entities that are interested to lease the state-owned land and to obtain access rights to state dams, and/or to enter into lease agreements with the department in terms of its Lease Policy.

‘The purpose of the EOI is to provide equal opportunity for all potential applicants, both public an
d private and to address public concerns regarding the transparency, fairness, and competitiveness of the leasing process,’ Mahlobo explained.

Source: South African Government News Agency