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North West MEC for Social Development Hoffman Galeng expressed his condolences to the Mafoko family on Monday after seven of the family’s members were wiped out in a blaze.

Forty-eight-year-old Boitumelo Mafoko, her five children and one grandchild died in the fire at their home. It is believed that a candle started the blaze.

“We express our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and to all residents of Kgetleng River Local Municipality. This is a painful tragedy. We urge the residents here to work with the government as we prepare to pay [our] last respects to the deceased,” Galeng was quoted as saying.

Galeng was accompanied by Kgetleng River Local Municipality Mayor Kim Medupe, the SA Police Services and officials from various government departments, spokesperson Petrus Siko said. 

Siko said a team of social workers from the department, Phokeng Trauma Centre and Lifeline have been sent to the area to provide trauma counselling and debriefing to family members, as well as pupils and teachers at local schools the Mafoko children attended. 

He said Galeng was also expected to buy clothes and groceries for two children who survived. 

Police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone told News24 that an inquest docket had been opened and that no foul play was suspected.

The Belgian government committed €30m to South Africa’s land reform process, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu said on Monday after a meeting with that country’s deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister, Didier Reynders.

Speaking at a press conference after their meeting, Reynders emphasised the need for balance in South Africa’s process of amending the Constitution.

“We are sure that we need to go firm on the process of land reform because it was at the beginning [of] the reconciliation process of the country,” Reynders said.

He acknowledged the current parliamentary process relating to the amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution to allow expropriation without compensation, describing it as the “best way”.

“The importance of the process is to be smooth,” Reynders said. “Of course, we need to see a balanced situation.”

He pledged Belgium’s help.

“It’s a difficult issue in many countries, so we need to be sure it is a balanced process. We don’t want to express an extreme view on that,” Reynders said. 

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Sisulu said Reynders indicated to her that South Africa should perhaps educate the world about its stance on land. 

“Maybe we are misunderstood. And I appreciated his advice and told him that we are doing something about it to educate the world about what we are doing to redistribute the land,” Sisulu said.

“The bottom line which has come through is the Belgian government has understood our position, has from the beginning been with us, [has] committed €30 m to the process,” Sisulu said. 

“What the minister pointed out to me is we need to educate the world so that we don’t have a situation that we [had] about a month ago, that we have a misrepresentation of what we want to do. I was grateful for that kind of indication from him.”

In August, American broadcaster Fox News aired a factually incorrect insert about land reform in South Africa, prompting a tweet from US president Donald Trump. 

A few days, while on a state visit to SA, UK Prime Minister Theresa May said the UK supported President Cyril Ramaphosa’s approach to land reform and believed it could potentially unlock further investment opportunities in Africa.

Also on Monday, COPE leader Mosiuoa Lekota and AfriForum announced that they would lobby foreign embassies in South Africa to put pressure on the government to not amend the Constitution.

Lekota’s party said that it first wanted to discuss the issue of lobbying foreign missions.