Share

SA has over 6 000 oustanding land claims

Cape Town – There are currently 6 607 land claims outstanding in South Africa, Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti told Parliament on Wednesday.

He was responding to an oral question from the NFP’s Nhlanhla Khubisa, who wanted Nkwinti to give an updated on the number of claims settled and those outstanding.

According to Nkwinti, his department has settled 804 land claims in the past financial year, against its target of 615 and finalised a further 672 against a target of 454.

The department further called on a research unit at the University of KwaZulu-Natal to assist with outstanding land claims.

Title deeds

In a follow-up question, Nkwinti was asked why government denies people title deeds to their own land.

The minister responded that his department has engaged communities on the matter of title deeds, but there are certain concerns around following this route, such as that banks would be able to repossess this land if the title deed holder can no longer afford bank loans.

In another question, Nkwinti was asked what his department is doing to ensure that productive land will remain productive after land transfers.

“The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform does not have a mandate to develop land,” Nkwinti said. Yet his Department has taken 25% of its baseline budget to help recapitalise and develop farms.

“We don’t want to shift the blame to [the Department of] Agriculture, but it is within their mandate,” Nkwinti said. His department has over the past 18 months informed the premiers of the various provinces as well as the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries when land claims are settled.

“They should follow up and see to it that the land is developed,” Nkwinti said.

Read Fin24's top stories trending on Twitter:

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.90
+0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.86
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.36
+0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent-ruolie
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders