It gives me great pleasure to announce that I have approved the released of 2.8 hectares of land in the Msunduzi Municipality in KwaZulu Natal to the Housing Development Agency (HDA) for human settlements development and the formalisation of an existing settlement.
The HDA requested the land from the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and following the completion of the necessary processes, I have signed off the release of the land in terms of the State Land Disposal Act.
The HDA is a national public sector development agency that acquires, prepares land, develops and manages the development of human settlements developments on behalf of government.
The parcels of land approved by DPWI for release to the HDA are vested in the DPWI as the custodian of State-owned land.
Certain portions of the land are vacant while another portion is occupied by an informal settlement. The properties are earmarked for housing development and formalisation of the informal settlement.
The properties are approximately 10km from the Pietermaritzburg Central Business District.
The approval of the release of the land also enables the Acting Director General of DPWI to provide Special Powers of Attorney to the HDA to enable to agency, in conjunction with the Msunduzi Municipality to initiate the process for human settlements development on the land.
As part of the process, I have written to the Minister of Human Settlements Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi to inform her that I have approved the gratis release of this land to enable human settlements development in the Msunduzi Municipality.
This latest release of land in KZN comes after the release of 18 Land parcels measuring 533 hectares by DPWI last year for the purposes of accommodating communities, including those displaced by floods in 2022 in the KwaZulu-Natal Province.
In January this year, I also announced that I approved the release of 1 199 hectares of land, valued at approximately R7.4million to assist in settling a land restitution claim by the Kaapsche Hoop Community in Mpumalanga.
In addition, four properties measuring 2050 hectares has been identified by the DPWI. These are two properties measuring 511 hectares valued at approximately R10 million in Mpumalanga for the Bhembe community and two properties in North West measuring 1539,3 hectares valued at approximately R8 million for the Mekgareng / Broederstroom community which were also released in January 2023 for restitution claims.
Under the land reform programme, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), as the custodian of national state-owned land, is often requested to release land to settle land claims for restitution, for human settlements development and land redistribution as part of government’s land reform programme.
Land reform is one of the key pillars of redressing the legacy of the apartheid regime which saw people of colour dispossessed and forcibly removed from land.
Land redress is also one of the key drivers to achieving spatial and socio-economic justice and ensuring that public land is used for public good.
DPWI progress on Land Reform
Since June 2019 to date, DPWI had made the following progress in this regard:
Land for Human Settlements Development: DPWI has released 2 560 hectares of land (44 parcels) to the Housing Development Agency (HDA).
In addition, DPWI has released 18 Land parcels measuring 533 hectares for the purposes of accommodating communities, including those displaced by floods in the KwaZulu-Natal Province.
Land for socio economic purposes:
In support of infrastructure development, 15 hectares (11 land parcels) were approved for registration of servitude for roads, water, electricity and gas pipeline servitudes in this past financial year.
In addition, DPWI has released 28.0055 hectares (7 land parcels) which was approved for registration of Eskom servitudes in December 2022.
Land for Restitution:
Since May 2019 to date, DPWI has released 218 land parcels measuring 31 439 hectares for restitution. Last year’s target for restitution was 10 000 hectares and this was exceeded.
In November 2022, 23 families in the Chris Hani District who had been forcibly removed by the apartheid regime, received title deeds to the land they were removed from in the area known as Thornhill in the Eastern Cape. Five properties were returned to the families who were all issued with title deeds for the properties with an estimated municipal value of R10million.
Land for Redistribution (Land Tenure):
Since May 2019, DPWI has released 25 549 hectares of agricultural land (125 parcels) for the Redistribution Programme.
One of the major wins for land reform was the title deeds handover in 2021 to more than 30 black farmers of the Tafelkop Farmers’ Association in Limpopo who had occupied the farms in Tafelkop for decades and successfully farmed a range of produce for various markets.
As DPWI, we remain committed to expediting the work of land reform and releasing available State-owned land once all due processes have been completed.
Source: Government of South Africa