Heritage Cases

On the 10th of March 2021, the HPU had a meeting with Local Municipality, Department pf Sports Arts and Culture , the complainants, the Limpopo Heritage Authority Council *LIHRA)member and the Landowner at the Lepelle Nkumpi local municipality hall. It was stated that the municipality, in partnership with COGSTA had allocated a stand to the Makwela family in 2007. The The Ncahbeleng family (Complainant) was allowed to have access to the graves and have family rituals in the yard. When the municipality handed over the stand with the RDP, the three graves were demarcated and enclosed with a fence, and the Makwela family was told not to touch/disturb the graves. However, in 2010 the Makwela family decided to erect back rooms for additional income. The Makwela family has never approached the municipality for a building plan and erected the rooms in their own accord. In the meeting, Ms Makwela confessed that she has been aware of the graves, and indeed the back rooms have been built on two graves. There is an area outside of the yard, where there is one remaining grave. After the meeting we went for a site inspection at the Makwela household. Upon arrival, the team observed that the four back rooms are reallyt constructed and one of them has two graves underneath. The third grave is outside the yard and not fenced. The grave cannot be destroyed if the plot closer to it can been given to somebody else.