Update
PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS – "This is the first day of the new Covie."These were the words of Covie native and chairman of the Covie Communal Property Association (CPA) Cyril Constable during a land handover ceremony on Friday 30 April.
The small hamlet on the outskirts of Bitou drew big names last week, including Deputy President David Mabuza and other high profile government officials.
As part of government's effort to accelerate land reform, Mabuza handed over 764 000 hectares of land to the Covie community after a successful land settlement claim.
In 1883 more than 58 000ha of land were given to woodcutters in Covie by Deed of Grant and they also enjoyed grazing rights in the area. In 1978 however, Covie was declared a Coloured Group Area, which saw the community lose their rights.
The land was bought by the Community Development Board and later transferred to the Department of Housing. A further blow came when a section of the land became part of the Tsitsikamma National Park, which led to the community losing access to the sea.
"Twenty-seven years into our democracy, today's land handover should be seen as an important instrument to achieve social cohesion and the realisation of socio-economic opportunities, as provided for in the Bill of Rights," Mabuza said.
During his address Mabuza, in his capacity as the chairman of the inter-ministerial committee on land reform, said the land would positively impact 411 households' ability to gain financial freedom.
The handover was part of the ongoing work of the committee to accelerate land reform by mobilising state resources to increase the efficiency and sustainability of land redistribution and restitution.
"This area is rich with agricultural and eco-tourism opportunities. In our celebration, we appeal to the Covie community to use this land effectively for heritage purposes, commercial activities and agricultural activities," he said.
Constable, who finished his schooling in Covie before leaving the area, said that he remembers a thriving Covie community. "The street from the school was lined with impressive houses, some double storey. The people of Covie were well off. It was a place of plenty. I remember all the fruit trees and vegetables along the way. On our way back from school we could literally just reach out and get some fruit to eat," Constable said.
He added that everything changed once the community's rights were removed. The community descended into poverty as they could no longer farm or access the ocean to put food on the table.
Constable said the community continued to hope that one day their lives would be restored and that he and many others feel that that day had finally come.
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