Less than a month after government re-opened the land claims window, Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti says they have already received in excess of 3 000 claims.

The land claims window re-opened on 1 July 2014.

“It is common knowledge now that the Restitution of Land Rights Amendment Bill has been signed into law. We have already received in excess of 3 000 claims across the country,” the minister said, while delivering his Budget Vote in Parliament on Wednesday.

The first period for lodgement was opened between 1994 and 1998. Although land claims were made and settled, a great number of people complained that they had not been aware of the process at the time and as such, they had missed the initial lodgement window.

Now, victims of land repossession, who missed the original land claim deadline, have been granted an opportunity to lodge their claims until 30 June 2019.

“As part of the communication strategy with land claimants, particularly those who lodged claims by the closing date of December 1998, the department has decided to put up notices in municipalities across the country to solicit the support of the municipalities in organising these claimants to meetings with officials of the Land Claims Commission, as part of accelerating the settlement of the outstanding claims,” said Nkwinti.