Ex-trustees 'stole' R15m from land restitution fund meant for poor

Judge slams effort to stop reckoning

- By Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane

A rural land restitution trust in Mpumalanga has become the centre of a multi-million-rand scandal after a group of former trustees were exposed for allegedly paying themselves over R15-million from funds meant to uplift a dispossessed community.

Instead of empowering land claimants near Hazyview, the Nhlangwini Trust was exploited as a personal cash machine by individuals who overstayed their term, disregarded the trust deed, and continued to loot long after their mandate had expired.

Now, those former trustees have failed in their attempt to stop a court-appointed administrator from cleaning up their mess and possibly clawing back the loot.