Landowners seek court inquiry

Listen to this article:

A group of landowners appeared before the Civil High Court in Suva yesterday seeking, among other things, a declaration that no traditional land belonging to the province of Rewa could be located within the province of Naitasiri.

The matter, involving plaintiffs Kinisena Salamailagi, turaga ni yavusa of the yavusa Matanikorovatu of Kalabu Village, Naitasiri Paula Nawiriwiri and defendants, the iTaukei Lands and Fisheries Commission, iTaukei Land Trust Board and turaga ni mataqali Nakausoqo, yavusa Naqavoka, Rewa, Kini Raqoli, was called before judge Justice Brito-Mutunayagam.

Representing the plaintiffs, Law Solutions informed the court that all parties had been served with affidavits in the matter.

The plaintiffs also wanted an inquiry into the traditional ownership of a parcel of land called Naulu, which sits in the Naitasiri Province boundary.

They are also seeking an order restraining the iTaukei Land Trust Board from leasing or dealing with the land until a decision was made and all lease monies paid to Kini Raqoli ceased until the ownership issue was resolved.

Mr Nawiriwiri stated in his affidavit the traditional boundary of the land known as Kalabu stretched from Koronivia up to the Bailey bridge river on Jerusalem Rd in Nabua, up along the Tamavua River along Cunningham Rd and ending with the boundary of Colo-i-Suva.

The affidavit stated land-gifting to women of high birth was practised by the vanua of Kalabu since the late 1800s and was traditionally referred to as covicovi ni lou.

It further stated that the covicovi ni lou was recorded by the iTaukei Lands and Fisheries Commission as reserved land and was reserved for the usage of the woman and her descendants only.

The affidavit stated the land remained registered to the yavusa that had gifted the land to the woman in the first place and the clan members from that yavusa had no right of usage or claims over these types of land.

His affidavit also claimed that the covicovi ni lou had a life span of one century and continued usage was at the discretion of the reigning turaga ni yavusa.

The affavidit claimed the land called Naulu belonged to the yavusa Matanikorovatu of Kalabu, Naitaisiri.

According to Mr Nawiriwiri’s affidavit, this land had been gifted to Lavenia Kaloubula, a high-born woman or the princess of the Mataqali Makoi, yavusa Matanikorovatu as her covicovi ni lou at the time of her marriage to Mitieli Waqavou of the Mataqali Nakausoqo, yavusa Navokai of Rewa.

The defendants sought 14 days to file an affidavit response in the matter.

The case will be called on October 28.

Array
(
    [post_type] => post
    [post_status] => publish
    [orderby] => date
    [order] => DESC
    [update_post_term_cache] => 
    [update_post_meta_cache] => 
    [cache_results] => 
    [category__in] => 1
    [posts_per_page] => 4
    [offset] => 0
    [no_found_rows] => 1
    [date_query] => Array
        (
            [0] => Array
                (
                    [after] => Array
                        (
                            [year] => 2023
                            [month] => 12
                            [day] => 28
                        )

                    [inclusive] => 1
                )

        )

)

No Posts found for specific category