He made land reform work – The Village Voice by BN Press

Justice Minister Lamula praises Hosi Makuleke for successful land claim

The Village Voice

Hosi Makuleke has made it possible for people from the whole world to see that democracy can work, says Justice Minister Ronald Lamula at Makuleke on Friday.

Speaking at the funeral service of the late Hosi Makuleke, real names Joas Phahlela Makuleke Mugakula, Lamula said that the late leader also showed that traditional leaders are agents of development.

*Justice Minister Ronald Lamula addressing the funeral service of the late Hosí Maluleke on Friday*

Minister Lamula was referring the Makuleke community’s success story of developing their land in partnership with the park after reclaiming it through the land restitution process.

They now have 24 000 hectares of land inside the park for tourism and are managing the projects jointly with the Kruger National Park.

Lamula said the success of the Makuleke land reform programme showed that the programme of the government where it works with the private sector, the traditional leadership, and the community and land owners is a success and where this fails it is because of poor leadership.

Lamula said the government was criticized harshly after problems in two privately owned prisons, the Mangaung Prison where Thabo Bester escaped from and Kutama Prison.

He said because of the problems in those prisons, the whole progress in the concession was disregarded and the programme was now dubbed a failure.

He said where privately run institutions fail, people should not say the whole programme failed.

“Those two prisons are run by the government in partnership with the private sector, and have excellent facilities. But just because of few mistakes, it cancels everything, ” he said.

*ANC NEC member Joe Maswanganyi warned his comrades against putting their noses in royal family matters*

“This will be throwing the baby together with the bath water, “he said.

“In all the other land reform programmes that have failed, this must not be laid on the door of government policy, but on poor leadership, “he said.

He said in the two prisons, the government was running them jointly with the private sector and where they failed, it is not because of the government policy, but poor leadership.

Lamula said during the reform programme, Hosi Makuleke gave young people an opportunity to research about the project.

He also afforded women an opportunity, Lamula said.

Lamula said he got to know the late leader through his son Humphrey who was with him at the University of Venda, while Lamula was the president of the Student Representative Council.

ANC NEC member Joe Maswanganyi said the late leader had it tough against the apartheid government.

*Erense Zielle of Biabab Fruits , Banana plantation*

He was one of the traditional leaders who were deprived under apartheid and recently reclaimed his senior traditional leadership through the courts.

Maswanganyi said the late chief phoned him the day he won the case.

Maswanganyi warned ANC members against involving themselves with domestic matters of the royal family.

“As ANC members have a smooth relationship with the traditional leadership and at no stage should you attend a meeting of the royal family. The royal family is not a political party but for family members, “he said.

He thanked traditional leaders for their resistance against colonialism something that led to the formation of the ANC, the South African Native National Congress in 1912.

The event was attended by various dignitaries including ANC veteran George Mashamba, Statistician General Risenga Maluleke, Professor Tinyiko Maluleke and well known broadcaster Sydney Baloyi who was the programme director.

Others were Contralesa leadership of Prince Dr Gulukhulu Mathebula, Hosi Bohani Shigamani and Hosi Ernest Makhubele.

The Makuleke Irrigation has employed more than 500 people.

Hosi Makuleke was born on June 29 1948 at the then Makuleke, previously known as Pafuri Triangle.