Native Land Act: 90 years later
30 June 2003
Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Thoko Didiza and her deputy, Dirk Du Toit, have handed land back to five communities in four provinces - the Eastern Cape, North West, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal - that was taken from them by the former apartheid government.
The handover formed part of Land Month, marking the 90th anniversary of the passing of the infamous Native Land Act of 1913, and highlights the progress of the government’s redistribution programme under the theme: "Reversing 90 years of racial land dispossessions".
The government has settled over 36 686 land claims since 1994, benefiting more than 44 402 people.
Didiza returned approximately 2 879 hectares of land taken from the community of Thaba Nchu in the Free State between 1974 and 1978. Land Claims Commissioner in the Free State, Sugar Ramakarane, said three farms were returned to three families and a group of former farm workers who had title deeds dating back to
1836.
Didiza also returned land to the Guba community in Lady Frere in the Eastern Cape. The Lady Frere settlement was one of the biggest claims in the province. The total value of the land returned, calculated at an average R1 153.00 per hectare is approximately R7.5-million. The government will also assist the 1 430 beneficiaries with restitution discretionary grants and restitution planning grants worth approximately R6.35-million.
Deputy Minister Du Toit, meanwhile, visited Zanzibari and Cato Manor in KwaZulu-Natal to settle the land claims of two communities who were forcibly removed under the Group Areas Act between 1955 and 1958.
About 199 Zanzibari claimants are set to benefit from the claim, involving 17.5 hectares of land, while 107 Cato Manor claimants will see their land rights restored, as well the establishment of a housing project to the value of R5.8-million.
Du Toit will also visit the Colligny Central District, near Lichtenburg in the
North West, to hand over about 3 200 hectares of land for the benefit of 600 households and 2 100 individuals.
Source: BuaNews
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