The Portfolio Committee on Agriculture and Land Affairs

Re : LAND RIGHTS AMENDMENT BILL 2003

We want to put on record that we wholeheartedly agree with the above Bill

However we would like to place on record the following

• that all struggles of our people prior to the declaration of Union in 1910, was a struggle of our people against the theft and dispossession of our land by the colonialists:-

• that after the formation of the union, the dispossession and eviction of our people, from the land was entrenched by statute with the promulgation of the Land Act of 1913;

• that this heinous piece of Legislation was followed by numerous statutes, dispossessing the majority of our people from their land and preventing us from acquiring access to our own land,
• that the advent of the National Party to power in 1949 and their inhuman and demeaning policy of apartheid (declared a crime against humanity and sought to cruelly and vindictively deprive our people not only of the land which the people had acquired through a process of struggle and sweat, but also to demean and humiliate us with the Promulgation of the Group Areas Act of 1956;

It is this Legislation which horrifically impacted communities throughout our land; it tore apart a community which was stable and non-racial

It uprooted people who had no other roots that this area and their piece of land, whether owned or rented. It caused anguish and frustration, as well as economic hardship.

It dispersed our people all over the Western Cape

It created; Manenberg, Langa,Nyanga,Hanover Park, Bonteheuwel, Guguletu, etc

It resulted in a culture of gangsterism on the Cape Flats

It caused the deaths of our older folk who could not and would not adapt to the sandy wastes to which they were forced to relocate

It made people who were poor poorer

It resulted in break up of families

And mostly, it created anger by the humiliation which it inflicted upon us

It gave those who had no prior rights the rights to occupy our land

In 1994 our Democratic Government, for whom we had fought, and family members had died for and were imprisoned, gave us hope that the wrongs of the past would be rectified.

This process was indeed implemented and land was restored to some people, however, the majority of the dispossessed are still awaiting restitution, restoration and redress of/and for their land.

In the interim our Government has not shown the necessary political will and leadership to provide this relief;

This is apparent from the sale and long lease of prime state land in those areas in which people were dispossessed; by allowing foreigners, with their financial exchange clout to buy up prime properties and land in our country; by not providing the Land Claims Commission with the necessary powers of intervention to act purposefully on behalf of claimants, and giving it the necessary resources to simplify and expedite claims; by not providing adequate information of the process of restitution and rights and unilaterally determining a cut-off date 31 December 1998.

We therefore bring the following concerns to you for immediate intervention :

• That the land granted to claimant must be accompanied with Financial and Technical and Marketing assistance to ensure its viability.

• That the Government reopens the claim process to allow those thousands, both owners and tenants, who had not timeously submitted their claims to be given an opportunity to do so.

• That the Government cut the Defence budget in order to boost Health, Poverty relief and Land restitution.