The government has dismissed claims by landowners of Mataqali Luvutu in Macuata that there is no legal lease for the Nasealevu water catchment in Labasa.

Landowners argue they have not seen proof of the lease and question why payments stopped in June last year.

They sought government intervention, demanding clarification and documentation.

Minister for Lands Filimoni Vosarogo insists the government has held a 99-year lease over 1,950 acres of the catchment since 1973, paying between $75,000 and $79,000 annually, with reassessments every five years.

He said a copy of the lease was recently provided to the Turaga ni Koro of Nasealevu.

“If they have an issue with the value, if they have an issue with the size of the lease, their role is to take it up with TLTB, who is the leasing authority that leases the land on behalf of the landowners to the government for general purposes. So we’re asking that landowners would consider the larger picture that we want to achieve, and that’s for the development of water and water resources for people that live in Labasa.”

However, Vosarogo acknowledges that the lease may have been arranged between the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) and the government, suggesting the landowners direct their concerns to TLTB.

Marisilino Tawake, the only surviving landowner involved in the 1973 negotiations, maintains no legal document exists to prove the lease.

“I clearly remember the time when the government came into the village with a tabua and Waka to seek permission to use the catchment. There was no legal agreement; it was just our elders with good hearts who agreed to their request. No papers, no signature, no legal document—it’s just all verbal discussion because we care for the people.”

Meanwhile, Minister for Public Works Ro Filipe Tuisawau said he would review the details of the lease and address the landowners’ concerns.

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