Land Claims Commission winding up restitution work
2009-02-12
THE Commission on Restitution of Land Rights has so far settled a total of 75 031 claims across the country since 1995.
This has translated into a total of 2,3 million hectares of land approved for restoration to more than 30 300 households. In total, the state has approved awards to the value of R17 623 billion in respect of the restitution process nationally. Out of a total 17000 land claims lodged in the Western Cape, the office is now left with only 1400 claims. The cost of implementing land reform has become very expensive over the years. Compounded by the economic meltdown facing the world economies, the Commission now finds itself having to acquire less with more, in terms of ensuring equitable redress for the beneficiaries. In the third quarter alone, a total of R1,081 billion was awarded in respect of 119 claims settled throughout the provinces. All this is indicative of the expensive nature of the cost of settling the outstanding claims. As part of the strategy for settling the outstanding claims which involve high value commercial activities, the Commission is interacting with role players in the affected business sectors regarding the settlement of these claims. A process to appoint Transactional Advisors to assist the Commission in dealing with these complex claims is currently underway. Cumulatively, the restitution process in the Western Cape has led to the settlement of a total of 15 511 claims at a cost of R1,105 billion to the state. This has benefited a total of 22 323 households, and approximately 114 000 individuals in the Province. As part of the settlement of claims in the Province, the office has facilitated the release of land for development purposes. Given the complexity of the claims that it is now dealing with, the Western Cape Commission projects that it will finalise the outstanding claims by 2011. They will also be approaching Cabinet in the new financial year with regard to additional funding to deal with the outstanding claims, said Andrew Mphela, acting Chief Land Claims Commissioner.
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