The government has abandoned its bid to appeal against a ruling that forces it to sell a black Limpopo farmer land it promised him more than two decades ago, but it now wants a price allegedly nine times what the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) ordered it to sell for, says a Business Day report.

Lawyers for farmer David Rakgase (79) are threatening contempt of court charges against the Land Reform & Rural Development Department if it does not transfer to him the land he leased from the state for three decades at the price he was offered in 2002 – R621 000.

The department allegedly insists Rakgase pay R5.5m for the property, which its representatives offered to sell him under the now discontinued Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development (LRAD) programme in 2002.

The programme was to help black farmers own land through government-sponsored grants, but was hit by rampant fraud and corruption, much of it allegedly involving department officials.

Despite Rakgase’s lawyers producing evidence that he was offered the land at R621 000 after a Land Bank valuation, and in apparent violation of the High Court ruling, the government wants R5.5m for the land.

It told Rakgase’s lawyers in a letter it arrived at this price by looking at ‘market-related prices obtaining at that time in 2003 in the area where the property is situated’.

The letter does not say why the department is apparently not selling the land at the price that would have applied under the LRAD programme.

The department has agreed to meet Rakgase’s lawyers at the end of January.

Full Business Day report