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Reverend Kemueli Musunamasi, the head of the Methodist Church Kinoya circuit, talks to Nanuku squatter settlement resident Jone Gonavou, 74, at Nanuku squatter settlement in Vatuwaqa yesterday.

FIVE-hundred squatter families, who have been asked to vacate the land they reside on, have called on the State to buy it.

Nanuku squatters' spokes-man, Timoci Ledua, said they were given a notice by Bhindi K Brothers to vacate the area in Vatuwaqa, Suva.

"Only some of the families were given the evacuation notice but we gave it to the others as well,"he said.

"We were given 21 days to vacate the area and about 500 families live here and that's about 3000 people.

"They asked us to vacate the land because they would like to upgrade the area.

Mr Ledua said the notice was given to the Methodist Church at its conference on Bau Island in August.

"We gave the letter to the Methodist Church at the conference on Bau,"he said.

"The church said it would support us and asked us to form a committee to look at the needs of the people.

"The Government has asked us to move to Veikoba but we are now asking them to buy the land because it would be too much to dismantle the houses then reconstruct.

Mr Ledua said he had been living at Nanuku for 32 years but there were people who had been living there longer.

"Some people have been staying here for the past 48 years,"he said.

"I've been here for 32 years.

"The children go to school in this area and if we move to Veikoba it would be very difficult.

"We are just praying to see what the Lord will do for us.

Head of the Methodist Church Kinoya circuit Reverend Kemueli Musunamasi confirmed the church was handling the case.

He also said the church sent representatives to Bhindi Brothers asking them to stall the 21-day notice, which ended in mid-August.

"The church told them to form two committees one for Nanuku and the other for Veidogo,"he said.

Housing CEO Emele Duituturaga said they needed $5m to relocate the squatters to Veikoba and that Bhindi had agreed to co-operate with the State.

"With the Nanuku squatters, we have been talking with Bhindi and reached an agreement that they will co-operate with us and we will co-operate with them,"she said.

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