Thousands, if not millions, of dollars are changing hands on iTaukei land illegally without a single cent reaching the landowners, according to Jone Vodo, principal consultant of Optimal Development Pte Ltd, the company behind the development of Waisasa Settlement in Tacirua. The settlement, currently occupied by around 100 families, is facing eviction.
Vodo has urged the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) to stop sending out mixed messages, take a firm stand, and use provisions in the iTaukei Land Trust Act, 1940 to clear the 16-acre land for development work to commence.
“There are three categories of occupants living there,” Vodo, who has partnered with landowner Isikeli Nakoivalu from Mataqali Nawavatu in Kababu Village, explained. “The first category, about 10 percent, are those who originally asked for land from the landowners. The second category includes those who bought houses there without going through the landowners. These houses have been sold multiple times, sometimes at prices as high as $30,000 or $40,000. The third category consists of renters.”
Vodo mentioned a survey he conducted in Waisasa in 2021, revealing a shop operating on the roadside with a weekly turnover of $5,000, none of which goes to the landowners or TLTB. “Across Fiji, where illegal occupants are on iTaukei land, thousands if not millions of dollars are changing hands while iTaukei landowners live in extreme poverty,” he said.
He pointed out that Section 27 of Part 5 of the TLTB Act gives TLTB the power to evict illegal occupants, but the board has been slow to enforce it in Waisasa’s case. “The director of lands has been very vocal in the media about squatters on State land. Where does TLTB stand?” Vodo questioned.
TLTB chief executive officer Solomoni Nata said they are discussing relocation options with Mataqali Nawavatu, possibly to Cunningham. “We aim for minimal disruption, similar to the situation in Waidamudamu (in Koronivia), where squatters were given land titles,” Nata said. He added that while some families are resisting, TLTB’s goal is for occupants to secure titles and for landowners to receive their fair share.
Vodo revealed that he and Nakoivalu had secured a financier for their project, emphasizing the need to clear the land for work to begin. The project includes two stages: the development of commercial lots and a supermarket in Stage One, and 54 residential lots in Stage Two.