Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says no land can be given to anyone or changed to freehold without the owner’s consent.
He said this in response to queries from this newspaper yesterday about the ownership of Veiraisi Settlement in Nadera, Nasinu where around 40 homes were lined up to be dismantled after the occupants were given eviction notices.
Mataqali I Matanikutu of Tamavua and Kalabu, Naitasiri claimed the land where the settlement was located was theirs and they had not given consent for it to be converted from native lease to freehold.
“No one could just move into a land without the owner’s approval, one of them must have signed the deed of approval,” the PM said.
“One of them must have signed it resulting in it becoming freehold.”
Mataqali member Pailato Radibi said the only land they were aware of was a 100-acre portion sold to a Ram Singh in 1901 from the 605 acres land which belonged to them.
“The 605 acre spans from the Laqere Bridge right up to the bridge in Laucala and in this 605 acre is the 100 acre that was given without our knowledge along with the 326 acres claimed by the Nasinu Land Purchase and Housing Cooperative Ltd,” Mr Radibi claimed.
“The 100 acre piece of land was signed off by the turaga buli of Naitasiri in 1905 but no one from our mataqali signed that deed.
“The yavusa o Matanikutu does not have a mataqali called Kalabu but it says on the deed that the mataqali o Kalabu sold 100 acres to a Ram Singh.”
Mr Radibi said that as far as they were concerned, the 326 acre piece of land claimed by Nasinu Land Purchase and Housing Cooperative Ltd was not bought from them and they, as native land owners, have not seen any title or evidence of purchase.
“We were not aware of that piece of land being sold to anybody and we only knew of that 100 acres that was sold without our consent.
“We have no idea when or who authorised for it to be converted from native land to crown grant and right to freehold land thus allowing cooperatives like Nasinu Land Purchase and Housing Cooperative Ltd to purchase and make it claims on it.”
