Lichtenburg, North West – Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso is visiting the North West province to engage with Lichtenburg residents and oversee the handover and restoration of land rights involving nearly 60,000 hectares to three communities.
The restitution program addresses historical claims lodged by communities dispossessed in 1936 from farms around Lichtenburg and Mafikeng. Kenneth Matugani, a commission spokesperson, explained that the initiative is grounded in legislation passed by Parliament in 1994 following the advent of democracy. The law was designed to redress injustices stemming from the 1913 Native Land Act, which confined Black South Africans to just 13% of the country’s land and imposed severe racial restrictions on land ownership.
“Communities and individuals who were dispossessed in terms of the Native Land Act or other racially based practices were entitled to lodge claims with the commission,” Matugani stated. The claims lodgment period closed on December 31, 1998, and the commission continues to process those submitted within that timeframe.
The claims now being finalized—submitted by communities in the area—were validated after thorough research confirmed they met the Land Restitution Act’s criteria: dispossession occurred under racial laws after June 1913, and no just or equitable compensation was provided at the time. Following validation, the claims were published in the Government Gazette, allowing a 90-day window for objections from affected parties.
To date, more than 22,000 hectares have been restored to one of the beneficiary communities at a value of approximately R312 million. During the visit, Minister Nyhontso will tour select restored properties, including poultry operations and cattle-grazing farms, where agricultural equipment will be handed over to support livelihoods.
Matugani emphasized that land restoration is only one phase of the process. “Once we have restored land, other branches within the department must come in to provide post-settlement support,” he said. “This collaboration ensures that all farms given to communities remain sustainable and productive.”
Also present for the proceedings was the Member of the Executive Council for Agriculture in the North West province. The event forms part of a broader presidential initiative to accelerate land restitution and empower historically disadvantaged communities through secure land tenure and agricultural development.
The handover underscores the government’s ongoing commitment to addressing colonial and apartheid-era land dispossession while fostering rural economic participation and food security.