Johnathan Paoli
Deputy President Paul Mashatile announced in the National Assembly on Friday, amid harsh and critical questions, the expected intervention of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Land Reform and Agriculture in facilitating land restitution and outstanding land claims.
Mashatile was in parliament to report and engage on progress achieved by the government in resolving land claims as part of the Land Reform programme and efforts to find lasting peace for the people of South Sudan.
He said as of June this year there remained 5 407 outstanding claims that the IMC is actively engaged in swiftly bringing to a just conclusion.
The deputy president praised the Land Court Amendment Bill, and said the Bill includes provision for communal land transfer, registration, title and appointment of a land rights inquiry and aims to regulate the administration and use of communal land by communities within the framework of the applicable laws including spatial planning and land use management.
Mashatile said a revision of the Property Evaluation Act was desperately needed and called for the development of an overarching integrated land administration policy framework that prioritises documenting all land and legislation in order to underpin economic, social, institutional and environmental sustainability.
However the engagement from MPs was less than friendly, with EFF leader Floyd Shivambu questioning the DP on the large amount of money spent on white farmers in comparison to land claimants.
In addition, the EFF criticised the government’s progress and referred to the 7th Report of the Land Access Movement of South Africa by the Land Claims Commission to the Land Claims Court, which highlighted over 6 600 outstanding land claims lodged on or before 31 December 1998.
The report also estimated that resolving these remaining claims would require an additional 30 years and R68 billion.
Mashatile concluded by praising the progress made, and although admitting that the process remains ongoing, said the IMC will continue to review the best plausible options to improve the overall financing of the Backlog Reduction Strategy, as introduced by the Commission.
This will help to accelerate the settlement of old order claims so that the government can resolve this matter within a reasonably shorter period, he said.
“We have identified where the challenges are and we are going to intervene to ensure that we can bring justice to the people who were forced off their land,” Mashatile said.
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