Mthatha: Deputy President Paul Mashatile, in his role as Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Land Reform and Agriculture, is set to officially hand over title deeds to the Qelana and Qolombana communities in the Eastern Cape on Friday. These communities, located near Mthatha in the OR Tambo District Municipality, had lost their land rights due to the apartheid-era Betterment Policy.
According to South African Government News Agency, the implementation of the Betterment Policy resulted in overlapping land rights among the communities, which led to reduced sizes of arable and residential sites and re-allocated land rights. The Qelana community faced dispossession in 1957 and 1963, while the Qolombana community experienced it in 1936 and 1963.
The Presidency noted that the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights, in collaboration with the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, has resolved the land claim. The communities chose to have their land restored as a form of redress. The handover ceremony also marks the 30th anniversary of the enactment of the Restitution of Land Rights Act, 1994.
Deputy President Mashatile will be accompanied by Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development Mzwanele Nyhontso, Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, local mayors, and senior government officials.