The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform announced today that 5 495 (five thousand four hundred and ninety five) claims have been received at lodgement sites across the country. The majority of these have been lodged in the Western Cape province with 1 363 claims followed by the Gauteng province with 956 claims, since the land claims process was re-opened from the 1st of July 2014.
Government re-opened the lodgement of land claims process for a period of five years ending in June 2019 allowing for communities and individuals who were affected by land dispossession after the 1913 Natives Land Act to claim for restitution.
Chief Land Claims Commissioner Ms Nomfundo Gobodo said, “We have noted that the majority of those who have lodged claims since the reopening of the lodgement of land claims have opted for financial compensation.”
She urged claimants to opt for land restoration instead of money where possible. Ms Gobodo was speaking during the oversight visit of the Select Committee on Rural Development and Land Reform to Mowbray lodgement site in Cape Town today (30 July 2014)
She added that opting for land restoration, will not only help to achieve redress for victims of forced removals, but will also address the important issue of land ownership patterns in South Africa.
In line with the new electronic lodgement system, claimants have to physically visit any of the 14 lodgement sites that have been opened across the country with their supporting documents, to lodge a claim.
The department has put plans in place to send out mobile offices to far flung areas of the country to enable every qualifying citizen an opportunity to lodge their claims.
No forms will be handed out as claims are received through the electronic lodgement system. Lodging a land claim is a free government service and the members of the public are cautioned not to fall prey to fraudulent activities conducted by certain individuals who are selling fake claim forms. The Restitution Act states that it is illegal to submit a fraudulent claim, including not disclosing other potential interested parties.
A copy of a booklet outlining details of the qualification criteria, required documents, as well as the location of the lodgement offices, is available from www.ruraldevelopment.gov.za or toll free number 0800 007 095. The information can also be obtained by sending an email to claim@ruraldevelopment.gov.za
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