Speech delivered by the Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Ms Lulama Xingwana on the Hlabisa-Mpukunyoni Community Land Hand-over celebration, Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal

Programme Director
Amakhosi akhona la
The district and local mayors present here today
National Land Commissioner, Mr Thozi Gwanya
KwaZulu-Natal Land Commissioner, Ms Mayu Sosibo
Claimants as well as beneficiaries
Members of the media
Distinguished guests

Mangibingelele ngokukodwa koMastandi, abanini mhlaba abasha kusasa nje! Nanmhlanje sizokuthi la umhlaba ubuyile! sithi ubuyile umhlaba!

Namhlanje siyathokoza ukuba umhlaba ubuyile kubantwu base Hluhluwe. Indeed I am exceptionally happy today, as the scriptures say, "what was taken unlawfully is being restored to the people". Today we are here to celebrate the restoration of the dignity of the people of Hlabisa and Mpukunyoni. These racial land dispossessions by the apartheid state had no respect for culture and custom, they had no respect for churches and amakhosi. All of the black people were reduced to tenants on their own land. An elderly and respected leader of the community was called a boy as he was forced to be a farm worker. A mother of the nation with five children was called a girl as she was reduced to a domestic worker. Our people lost not only their socio-economic rights in land but also their dignity and visibility. Today we are here to say; "never again shall our people loose their rights in land because they are black"!

The land that you are receiving today has good potential for eco-tourism development as it forms part of the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park. You are close to the potential trans-frontier park between Swaziland, Mozambique and South Africa. There are great possibilities in terms of local economic development. I am pleased to note that the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Services, Ezemvelo, has been retained to manage the land for conservation purposes.

Let me take this opportunity to commend Mr PD Mhlaba and those who assisted him for lodging this land claim on behalf of this community. Today your courage, dedication and patience have paid off and we are here to testify that your land rights have been restored in full.

The community was told to vacate the land under the false pretext that the then government wanted to rid the area of the poisonous tsetse flies and the buffalo ticks which were alleged to be causing cattle disease. The community vacated the area with the understanding that they were doing so temporarily and would return after three years when the situation was back to normal. To their dismay, this was not to be. Instead the area was fenced off and converted into a game reserve. Through the treacherous action of the government of the day, the community lost their right to the land which they have occupied for many generations. To make things worse, the community was subsequently technically regarded as squatters and were removed from the area in line with the Illegal Squatters Act No. 52 of 1952. They lost their rights of beneficial occupation which they had enjoyed for many years in the area, as recognised in Section 1 of the Act.

I am glad that the day before yesterday the Constitutional Court found that the individual members of the Popela Community in Limpopo, who were forcibly removed by the individual white landowners, were in fact entitled to restitution. This means that most of the people living on farms who were turned into labour tenant, through racial laws such as the Illegal Squatters Act of 1952, actually qualify for restitution, if they have lodged their claims. This also means that those landowners who make the loudest noise that a number of the restitution claims are not valid must have a serious rethink in support of our land reform programmes. The spirit and purpose of our land legislation is to correct the skewed land ownership, it is to ensure restorative and redistributive justice and equitable redress to the victims of racial land dispossession.

This land that we are restoring today falls under what is referred to as the 'protected area'. I have been told that this community has decided to support bio-diversity and conservation. I am told you have lived in harmony with nature and game for time immemorial. You are committed to maintaining that close relationship with nature. You have agreed to the restoration of this land in title to you, without your physical occupation of the land. You have decided that this park will be managed in terms of the protected areas management plan, in line with the environmental legislation. This is highly commendable as it fits in snugly with the international debate on people and parks. We would like your park to be an envy of the nations of the world by the manner in which you lead by example in the participation of people in conservation.

In this land restoration we have put aside a financial award for the community which includes financial aid for eco-tourism and other developments. It is imperative that the skills transfer plan is fully implemented including the Tourism Development Business Plan, for the benefit of the community. The community will therefore be part and parcel of any tourism development that shall take place on the claimed land.

One of the purposes of the Restitution Programme is to improve the household welfare which underpins general economic growth, contribute to poverty alleviation and ensure sustainable development. In most instances, women and children are the ones who bear the brunt for poverty in a community. It is pleasing to note that about 344 of the total households benefiting from the settlement of this claim are female-headed households. Since time immemorial, women have continued to play a critical role within their families and the broader community, making sure that there is food on the table for the family to eat. Sometimes with babies on their backs, we still hold memories of mothers in the community working together, tilling the land, grinding the mielies, collecting firewood and water to ensure that their families eat. It is in the same spirit that I am calling on the women of the Hlabisa and Mpukunyoni community to stand up and be actively involved in the economic activities that emanates from the settlement of this claim.

In the same breath, I am also calling on the young people in this community to stand up and be part of the economic and development initiatives that are happening in the community. The class of 1976 refused to be passive. They stood up and identified themselves with the political struggle of their time, which their mothers and fathers were engaged in. I am challenging the young people here today; the struggle today has a different name, it is a struggle against poverty, a struggle for economic emancipation "stands up for and be counted".

Together with the mothers and fathers in the community, you must work to break the cycle of poverty which so entangles our community. Together, the community must work hard to safeguard this inheritance that is placed at our disposal today. June is the Youth Month, where we are commemorating the gallant actions of the class of 1976. I want to see the active participation of women and youth in the economic development of this community. This will ensure that you leave a good legacy for generations to come. If you fail to take part now, history will judge you harshly.

The world is looking at us in awe for what we have achieved in just over a decade of our democratic dispensation. As at 31 March 2007, the department has settled a total of 74 417 claims out of the 79 696 claims lodged with the Commission by the cut off date of 31 December 1998. What it means is that we have settled 93% of the total land claims lodged with the Commission. We are working hard to finish with the processing of the remaining 5 279 rural claims. Here in KwaZulu-Natal alone there are about 1 822 claims that are outstanding. There are some challenges with a number of these outstanding claims. In an effort to address some of the challenges, we are holding focused meetings with various stakeholders with a view to obtain their support and cooperation towards the resolution of the claims in a just, equitable and cost-effective manner.

We in the department value the continued support that the land reform programme is receiving from the Provincial and Local Government structures. Great strides have been made as a result of our collaborative work towards ensuring sustainability for land reform projects and contributing to improving the lives of the majority of our people, including beneficiaries of the restitution programme.

We have come a long way with the restitution process, it has not always been easy, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. I take this opportunity to salute you the people of Hlabisa and Mpukunyoni community for your resilience and commitment to see the return of the land. Today your efforts are being rewarded.

We owe it to ourselves to now work together to ensure the sustainability of this project. Our critics are watching to see you fail, and I say you dare not fail. Government has invested a lot of resources in the land reform programme.

Together we must make it work!

Ubuyile umhlaba wethu ubuyile!
Malibongwe Igama lamakhosikazi

I thank you.

Issued by: Ministry of Agriculture and Land Affairs
6 June 2007