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Legal battle evolves for land called Naulu in Nasinu

September 29, 2020 6:40 am

A complex legal battle is evolving between two Yavusa’s in a dispute over land call Naulu in Nasinu.

The Matanikorovatu Clan of Kalabu Village, Naitasairi is seeking a court decision on the ownership of the land which they claim is being leased out. They say the land was customarily given to Adi Lavenia Kaloubula over a century ago and the title was to remain with her yavusa in Kalabu.

By the 1970’s the land had changed status to traditional mataqali land belonging to the Yavusa Navokai of Rewa, the clan that Lavenia Kaloubula had married into back in the 1800s.

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The Clan in Kalabu claims the land was gifted to Kaloubula for her use during her lifetime for the use of her descendants. The court was made aware that gifting land to women of high birth was one of the practices of those times. They claim the clan the woman married into did not have any rights over how the land was used.

They say only after independence did they find out the title had changed.

The land is now said to be under the family which Kaloubula had married into in Rewa.

In seeking the court’s decision, the complainant has inquired into why was the status of the land called Naulu changed, who authorizes the change and how is it possible for the province of Rewa to own land that is located within the province of Naitasiri.

They claim the descendants of Kaloubula have been paying for the land they have heritage rights to use since 1971 and have had to put up with constant harassment and threats of eviction.

In court yesterday the complainant says all parties involved, including the ITLB, have been served with an affidavit and they are ready for hearing.

The iTLTB and the Mataqali Nakausoqo of Rewa have requested for 14 days to file their affidavit.

The case will now be called again on the 28th of next month.