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On 30th June 2014 the Restitution Amendment Act was assented to by the President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Mr Jacob Zuma, thus allowing for the reopening of the Restitution process for a further period of 5 years for all those individuals and or communities who did not lodge their Land Claims in the previous process.

The new deadline for the lodgement of land claims has been set for to 30 June 2019 in respect of persons dispossessed of their property after 19 June 1913 as a result of racially motivated laws and practices.

The Commission on Restitution of Land Rights has acquired the mobile lodgement offices to travel around the country to receive claims, in addition to the 14 Lodgement offices situated in all 9 Provinces. The mobile offices are specially equipped vehicles fitted with technology to process applications for land clams on site. 

A total of four busses and two all-terrain 4 x 4 trucks will be travelling across the country to receive land claims until 30 June 2019 as part of the drive to speed up delivery on the land reform programme.

The mobile lodgement office allocated to serve the Northern Cape, Western Cape, and the Free State Provinces will start receiving claims from individuals and communities in the small Karoo towns of Carnavon, Van Wyksvlei, Calvinia, Springbok and other neighbouring towns starting from 12 October until 30 October 2015.

From 5 November until 15 December 2015, the mobile office will service the small towns of Pofadder, Kakamas, Keimoes and surrounding areas, moving all the way to the far northern areas of the Province including Kuruman, Batlharos and Tsineng.

Approximately 14 700 land claims have been lodged at the mobile lodgement offices across the country since April 2015, bringing the total number of land claims lodged with the Commission of Land Rights since the reopening of the lodgement of land claims process to 116 543 from 1 July 2014 to 30 September 2015.

The Mobile Lodgement offices were introduced to the public in Cape Town in April 2014 by Minister Gugile Nkwinti together with Minister in the Presidency, Minister Jeff Radebe at a ceremony attended by members of the Portfolio Committee on Rural Development and Land Reform among other guests.

As at 30 June 2015 the Commission had settled 78 138 land claims lodged by the initial cut-off date of 31 December 1998, in respect of 385 691 families. This has benefited approximately 1 919 125 individuals across the country.  The state awarded 3 231 787 hectares of land for restitution beneficiaries, acquired at a cost of R18.7 billion. A total amount of R9.1 billion was awarded as financial compensation for claimants.

An additional R4.1 billion has been awarded to beneficiaries who have opted for land, as development assistance.

A total of 7997 claims lodged before the 1998 cut-off date were outstanding as at 30 June 2015.

According to the Regulatory Impact Assessment that was conducted in 2013, approximately 379 000 will be lodged between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2019.

Details regarding the dates on which the mobile lodgement offices will be visiting the different areas across the country are announced through local communication channels in each area.

The schedules for the mobile lodgement offices for all the provinces are also available on the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform’s website or toll-free number: 0800 007 095.

Issued by Department of Rural Development and Land Reform