sustainable settlement of outstanding land claims
30 October 2007
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the Commission on
Restitution of Land Rights (CRLR) have signed a five-year Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) that will see the two parties working together to provide
support to land restitution projects and their beneficiaries.
The MoU arises out of a need for various parties (government institutions
and agencies) to co-operate and adopt a consistent approach to support land
reform in South Africa. To help facilitate this supportive approach, DBSA and
CRLR have agreed to seek opportunities to create sustainability in settled
projects and accelerate settlement of outstanding land claims. The MOU will
regulate and guide, through a Joint Working Committee Structure, the manner in
which the parties will work with each other.
The initial focus will be on developments in Ba-Phalaborwa (Limpopo
Province) and the Northern Cape. The parties may jointly at any time agree to
consider any other project opportunities that might arise from future ventures
such as setting up a special purpose vehicle to accelerate public private
partnership for sustainable land reform.
In respect of the two pilot projects, DBSA will provide technical
assistance, particularly in the area of human resource development training.
Key people will be trained in how to identify, prepare, evaluate, finance,
implement and manage development projects and programmes. The Bank will also
provide support for the implementation of a business plan and identify a mentor
to oversee beneficiaries to ensure sustainability.
This MoU is in line with the Bank's mandate to promote economic development
and growth, human resource development, institutional capacity building and to
support development projects and programmes.
"In response to this mandate, we have developed amongst others the concept
of creating sustainable communities in support of the national development
agenda and are implementing this concept in diversified sites throughout South
Africa. This partnership between the CRLR and the DBSA is one of the
initiatives that support our vision of sustainable communities."
The CRLR's role in this newly created partnership will be to take the lead
responsibility in ensuring that the Regional Land Claims Commissions (RLCC)
support the implementation of the identified projects. It will also encourage
RLCC officials to assist in identifying restitution projects in provinces
according to the identified and agreed criteria between the two parties.
"The Commission has made a significant progress in terms of delivering on
its mandate to restore land to victims of racially motivated land
dispossessions. We have however established that the majority of the land
reform beneficiaries lack the necessary capacity to realise optimum economic
gain from the land restored to them. The partnership with organisations such as
the DBSA will go a long way to ensure that there is sustainability for land
reform projects," says the Chief Land Claims Commissioner Thozi Gwanya.
For further information, please contact:
Nonnie Letsholo
Manager: Corporate Communications & Marketing
Development Bank of Southern Africa
Tel: 011 313 3437
Cell: 082 884 8072
E-mail: nomvulal@dbsa.org
Issued by: Dynamo Africa for the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the
Commission on Restitution of Land Rights
30 October 2007
