During a recent event in Gauteng commemorating 30 years since the passing of the Restitution of Land Rights Act of 1994, minister of rural development and land reform, Mzwandile Nyhontsho, said he was ready to deal head-on with corruption within the sector. He emphasised that it is moving the country backwards and must be addressed decisively.
Nyhontsho said in his 100 days in office he dealt with corruption and informed President Cyril Ramaphosa about the rotten system in land restitution.
‘Corruption must be exposed’
“Yes, there is corruption. This must be exposed and dealt with by the full force of the law, corruption in government is not a new phenomenon and there is no excuse for this criminal endeavour.
“Let me assure you that I did not have to wait for 100 days in government to deal with corruption. I dealt with it
immediately. If you steal land from the people, when you are tasked with restitution and redistribution, then you are worse than the original thief,” he said.
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Nyhontsho said communities and officials who want to expose the rot should contact him directly and, where possible, proof should be given.
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“One of the mechanisms through which land restitution and land redistribution work is through communal property
associations (CPAs). If you know of any wrongdoing or corrupt practices in a CPA, report it.
“Here I am particularly interested in your desire to see the CPA function well. Your interest in having an accountable and transparent CPA, free from outside influences, especially the undue influences of former landowners,” he said.
In the past, experts in land reform, particularly restitution, said there were not many skills and manpower to tackle the many decades of land redistribution with corruption and mismanagement of resources topping the list.
“If you are part of a CPA, or newly elected, and you need help in your governance role or any role in the CPA, reach out for assistance from our officials. If CPAs function well, the restitution and redistribution pace will certainly increase.
“Restoring the land to the people also means addressing the poverty of our people. Addressing poverty is not the task of land reform alone,” he said.
Successes and post-settlement support
The minister said while financial compensation is allowed, his wish is that communities should be advised and encouraged about the benefits of taking the land and the added benefit of post-settlement support.
“Post-settlement support is not the task of one department alone and we encourage and invite other government departments and state-owned entities to join us in making land restitution a success,” he said.
According to Nyhontsho, while there were a few bad apples in the system, there were successes that needed to be communicated. He noted that as of 30 September 2024, 83 296 claims had been settled.
“In the next five years, we need to work together to dismantle the structural inequities that perpetuate this legacy of
inequality in land access, rural underdevelopment and reclaim the promise of dignity, freedom and equality for all our people.
“We must be prepared to identify and overcome everything that has impeded greater progress in ensuring the realisation of the goals we seek to achieve under this framework,” he said.
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