Programme Director, Mnyamezeli Dlamini,
Chairperson of the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders, Inkosi PHD Chiliza,
Mayor of Ulundi Local Municipality, Councillor N.J. Manana,
Chief Director for Restitution Support, Advocate B. Mbili,
Amakhosi,
Councillors,
Community representatives and officials,
Ladies and gentlemen.

With the re-opening of the process to lodge land claims, Government is determined to ensure that all victims of land dispossession have the opportunity for redress. This is why we are here today to mark the return to the province of the Mobile land Claims Lodgement Bus (Inkanyezi) from the Eastern Cape.

The office on wheels came about when the Land Claims Commission realised that it was difficult for residents in the rural areas to lodge their claims at the two Lodgement Centres in KwaZulu-Natal - one in Msunduzi and the other in Vryheid.

They came up with a plan to have a lodgement office on wheels to go around to all the districts to allow people make their claims near where they live and without having to travel long distances. It is also in special consideration of the elderly and the disabled and to make sure that services are being brought directly to the people. Inkanyezi is being shared between KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape on a three month basis.

It started on its rounds in August last year in KwaZulu-Natal and after three months it went to the Eastern Cape. The mobile office is back in our province and residents in Ulundi will be able to Lodge their Claims this week. Inkanyezi will move to Nongoma and then uPhongolo Municipality.

From there it will go to Amajuba, uMzinyathi and uThukela, ending up in the Ethekwini Metro in the last week of April. Government wants to make the lodging of land claims easy and accessible. When the re-opening of the land claims process was announced, Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, the Honourable Mr Gugile Nkwinti said it was done because of submissions by thousands of people who had missed the initial deadline.

There were also complaints from people who said they did not understand the process. Government listened and has addressed these issues. Manuals in all official languages have been distributed across the Province. This was in response to complaints about a lack of communication to educate citizens on the lodgement process.

In addition, officials have been going around talking to communities about the process. This time around, Government has put systems in place to ensure that claims are processed faster. Inkanyezi is fitted with the latest technology so that claims can be processed electronically. When claimants go to Inkanyezi to lodge a claim, documentation will be captured electronically and a notification of receipt, with a unique reference number, will be issued at the site.

If you do not get this letter, it means that your claim was not processed properly. You must insist on the notification letter as proof that you lodged a claim. Since the process re-opened, the total number of claims lodged up to January this year is 27 238. The Commission calls these quality claims because before a claim is lodged documents are screened. This is to rule out the risk of fraud.

It also helps to make the process move more smoothly and faster. As citizens, you can help to speed up the process by ensuring time is not wasted on incorrect and fraudulent claims. Please be aware that those who can claim include:

•     Individuals dispossessed of a land right.
•     A direct descendant of a person with a land right, such as the wife and children.
•     A juristic person, such as a company or a trust.
•     An executor or an administrator of an estate of a deceased person.
•     A representative of a community.

If you have claimed before and received redress either in the form of land or financial compensation, you cannot claim again for the same right. Remember that it is illegal to submit a fraudulent claim, including not disclosing other potential interested parties.

When you go to Inkanyezi make sure you have the following documents with you:

•     The description of the property, for example the farm name and number or the ERF or stand number in an urban area.
•     Information on the department or state organ that had removed the land.
•     The year of dispossession
•     What compensation was paid at the time of the land was taken away.
•     Particulars of the person who lost the right.
•     Particulars of the claimant and the capacity in which they are acting, for example whether they are a family member, community representative or executor of the estate.
•     a history of the land dispossession.

The more information and documentation that can be provided to support the claim, the quicker it can be processed.

The most important point I want you all to remember and to pass on to others is that the service is absolutely free. There are people who are going around charging people. Beware of these opportunists.

There is no payment, I repeat no payment of money to lodge a land claim. Please take advantage of this re-opened process and the mobile lodgement office visiting your area. Make sure you lodge your land claims well ahead of the deadline of 30 June 2019, in order to avoid the last minute rush. I understand from the Land Claims Commission that the lodgement process, so far, is progressing smoothly and that this time round, more women and youth have lodged claims.

This is encouraging. Of concern is the large number of people who are opting for financial compensation as opposed to land restoration. I am well aware that farming is not for everyone, but if you feel a passion for farming and a connection to the land, please consider land restoration. South Africa has an ageing farming population so we need more young farmers.

We also have to ensure food security for the future so we need a thriving agricultural sector. As a result of dispossession of land during apartheid, many of our people lost their connection to the land and their expertise in farming.

The KZN Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is well aware of this loss of traditional knowledge. In our new Strategy to transform agriculture in the Province, we have put in place support systems for land reform farms and new entrant Black farmers. Please consider this when you lodge your claim and decide on what form of restitution you want.

I thank you!cv