thousands of rural communities reached through mobile restitution offices

8/17/2019 Thousands of rural communities reached through Mobile restitution offices

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OFFICE OF THE CHIEF LAND CLAIMS COMMISSIONER

184 Jeff Masemola Street, PRETORIA, 0002. Private Bag X 833, PRETORIA, 0001Tel: (012) 312-8883| Fax: (012) 321 0428

PRESS RELEASE

SUBJECT: THOUSANDS OF RURAL COMMUNITIES REACHED THROUGH

RESTITUTION MOBILE OFFICES

EMBARGO: IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: 25 APRIL 2016

Since the reopening of lodgement of land claims, more than 100 000 households

from remote rural communities have been reached through the land claims mobile

offices introduced in April 2015 by the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights. As

a result of this initiative 27696 land claims were lodged through the mobile

lodgement offices alone during the first year of roll-out, bringing hope to many

victims of land dispossession across the country.

“The decision to reopen the lodgement of land claims was informed by the fact that

many individuals and communities who qualified to lodge land claims did not lodge

due to lack of awareness of the programme. We are quite pleased with the progress

made so far in reaching people in far flung rural areas through these mobile

lodgement offices ”, announced Chief Land Claims Commissioner, Nomfundo

Ntloko-Gobodo.

Many people who were assisted through the mobile lodgement offices haveexpressed their appreciation for these offices which have made it easy for them to


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lodge their claims this time around. By visiting these remote rural areas, the six

mobile offices (the Sol Plaatje, Gemsbok, Mabulandila-Vulindlela, Inkanyezi,

Maropeng, and Thembekile) have provided relief for those families who otherwise

would not have had the resources to travel to our 14 Lodgement offices in all 9

Provinces across the country.

Mr Alfred Msibi (97) and Mrs Maria Sibisi (79) from Mpumalanga Province were

among many of the elderly people across the country who have been assisted to

lodge their land claim in their village through these mobile offices. “We will be glad if

the process can be quicker and for government to compensate us for our loss. We

have had no peace since the day we were dispossessed of our ancestral land”,

commented the two senior citizens whose hopes have been revived by the visit of

the Mabulandila-vulindlela mobile lodgement office to their area.

From the northern parts of the country in Limpopo to the small Karoo towns in the

Northern Cape, right through to the most southern parts of the country in the

Western Cape, the mobile land claims offices have been warmly received by

persons who were dispossessed of their land after 19 June 1913 as a result of

racially motivated laws and practices, who feel they have been thrown a lifeline to

get redress for their loss and suffering.

A total of 4 busses and 2 all-terrain 4 x 4 trucks specially equipped with technology

to receive applications on site will continue to travel across the country to receive

these claims until 30 June 2019; this is part of the drive to speed up delivery on the

land Restitution programme. Combined together, these mobile lodgement offices

have the capability to reach communities irrespective of the geo-spatial challenges.

Since the introduction of the Restitution of Land Rights Amendment Act in July 2014

making provision for the lodgement of new land claims for a further period of five

years until 30 June 2019, cumulatively a total of 143,720 new claims have been

lodged with the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights across the country as at

31 March 2016.


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“ As a result of the intervention of the mobile lodgement offices visiting communities

to assist them to lodge claims, we are confident that we will have reached a

significant number of prospective claimants by June 2019. The large number of

claimants reached so far is evidence that we are making good progress with the

mobile lodgement offices campaign”, explains the Commissioner.

Information regarding the dates on which the mobile lodgement offices will be visiting

the different areas across the country is announced through local communication

channels in each area. Information on the schedules of the mobile lodgement offices

for all the provinces, as well as what is required to lodge a claim is available on the

Department of Rural Development and Land Reform’s website: www.drdlr.gov.za.

Issued by the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights

Enquiries:

Ms Pulane MolefeManager: CommunicationCommission on Restitution of Land RightsTel: (012) 312 9814, Cell: 0718558369Email: [email protected]
http://www.drdlr.gov.za/http://www.drdlr.gov.za/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.drdlr.gov.za/

thousands of rural communities reached through mobile restitution offices

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