Thousands, if not millions, of dollars are illegally changing hands on iTaukei land without any proceeds reaching the landowners, according to Jone Vodo, principal consultant of Optimal Development Pte Ltd. This company is behind the development of Waisasa Settlement in Tacirua, which is currently home to around 100 families facing eviction.
Vodo called on the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) to stop sending mixed signals and to use provisions in the iTaukei Land Trust Act of 1940 to clear the 16-acre land for development to begin.
“What we have discovered is that there are three categories of occupants living there,” said Vodo, who has partnered with landowner Isikeli Nakoivalu from Mataqali Nawavatu in Kababu Village.
“The first category, which is quite minimal at around 10 per cent, consists of those who originally asked the landowners for land. The second category includes those who bought houses there. Not everyone living there dealt directly with the landowners. Some are third, fourth, or fifth-time owners of these houses, and the prices have gone as high as $30,000 or even $40,000. The third category consists of renters,” Vodo explained.
He highlighted that during a survey conducted in Waisasa in 2021, he found a shop by the roadside with a weekly turnover of $5000, none of which was going to the landowners or TLTB. Vodo emphasized that similar situations across Fiji see significant amounts of money changing hands while iTaukei landowners live in extreme poverty.
Vodo pointed out that while Part 5 Section 27 of the TLTB Act gives TLTB the power to evict illegal occupants to protect landowners, TLTB has been slow to enforce it in the case of Waisasa.
“The director of lands has been vocal about squatters on State land. Where does TLTB stand?” he questioned.
TLTB CEO Solomoni Nata mentioned they are in discussions with Mataqali Nawavatu about potential relocation to Cunningham. “We are seeking to realign them with minimal disruption, similar to the case in Waidamudamu in Koronivia,” Nata said, referencing a situation where squatters were eventually given land titles.
In the case of Waisasa, however, families are resisting relocation, and even some Mataqali members oppose it. “From TLTB’s side, we want the best outcome for everyone—for the occupants to secure titles and for landowners to receive their fair share,” Nata said.
Vodo explained that he and Nakoivalu had, in principle, secured financing for their project, making it urgent to have the land cleared for development. The project includes two stages, with Stage One focusing on commercial lots and a supermarket, while Stage Two will develop 54 residential lots.