Pastors threaten to ‘grab’ land

THE GALESHEWE Pastors Organisation, which has been waiting since 2012 for sites to be allocated to it by the Sol Plaatje Municipality to erect temporary shanty churches, said that it is prepared to take the fight for land to the courts.

The organisation held a meeting yesterday, where it invited the chief town planner to attend to explain the reasons for the delays.

The secretary-general of the Galeshewe Pastors Organisation, David Setilo, said that religious leaders were waiting for the Sol Plaatje Spelum Committee to provide them with a church land policy.

“If our grievances are not attended to in the next 14 days, we will invade vacant plots of land and dumping sites and approach the courts to remain there. We are already in discussion with an advocate to represent us in court. We will also approach the EFF, ANC and ATM political parties for support,” said Setilo.

He indicated that churches were quickly running out of space. “The shanty churches that were operating in yards at the back of houses are becoming too small to accommodate all the congregants, especially when conferences are held It is unfair that foreigners are being given land while the churches have been patiently waiting without any success.”

Setilo pointed out that they had prevented some churches from occupying land that was allocated to them in an “unfair” manner.

“The beneficiaries were former board members who should not have received preferential treatment. Their term of office expired.”

According to a memorandum, the municipality had identified various erven in June 2018 for churches that were mushrooming in areas that were not “spatially or sustainably viable” to occupy.

The municipality had received a large number of applications from churches for leases and alienation and had prioritised lease applications that were received after 2015.

It was stated that the first 12 applications had been approved by the municipal planning tribunal on June 25 this year. MVD Kalahari was appointed as town planning consultants to survey various ervens.

Sol Plaatje Municipality spokesperson Sello Matsie said that the procedures for the application for ervens, including land for all religious institutions, were set out in the land alienation policy.

“No one will be favoured as that amounts to corruption and discrimination. All applications will be dealt with on merit and following council procedures.”

He added that while the Galeshewe Pastors Association was welcome to follow up on their applications, it should set a good example by not encouraging churches to “grab” municipal land.

“We respect the institution of faith and are guided by the Constitution of the Republic and council policy,” said Matsie.