Nkuzi Commemorative Event: 111 years since the passing of the Native Land Act on June 19, 1913.
The Land & Accountability Research Centre (LARC) was involved in a commemoration hosted by the Nkuzi Development Association, marking 111 years since the passing of the Native Land Act on June 19, 1913.
Nkuzi Development Association NPC was founded in 1997 to respond to an urgent need to assist 'communities within the Makhado area to lodge land claims after the introduction of the Restitution of Land Rights Act No. 22 of 1994.' At that time, the offices of the Land Claims Commission were only in Pretoria. Nkuzi assisted in completing claims forms, facilitating land claims committees, and documenting supporting evidence for the land claims. The communities and groups of claimants were supported to ensure they met the December 31, 1998, deadline for lodging land claims.
The commemoration through a night vigil and protest action was a key action point for grassroots organizations and those affected by land injustices in the land sector to voice their frustrations and concerns regarding the direction of land and agrarian reforms in South Africa.
On June 18, a night vigil was hosted where a program of action was discussed, and two researchers from LARC had the opportunity to present the latest updates on relevant land laws. On June 19, individuals, communities, farm dwellers, farm workers, those living on communal land, and aspiring farmers marched through the CBD of Polokwane to the Premier of Limpopo's office, where they handed over a memorandum of demands to the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Land Reform, as well as the Land Claims Commission.
The memorandum submitted by the communities urges the department, among other things, to enforce the two LAMOSA judgments and prevent traditional leaders from coercing people into paying levies or abusing their authority in land-related matters. Two officials from the department received the memorandum and have committed to providing a response by the first week of July 2024.
