About 250 land claimants in Gauteng and North West have failed to collect more than R3-million awarded to them in terms of South Africa’s Land Restitution Act. Payment has been approved by the Gauteng and North West Land Claims Commission, but the claimants disappeared during the six weeks between the finalisation of their claims and the signing of the final settlement papers.
Under the restitution law, people dispossessed of their land under apartheid laws are entitled to the restoration of their land or financial compensation. The missing claimants were awarded cash.
Blessing Mphela, Regional Land Claims Commissioner for Gauteng and North West, said the commission had tried to trace the missing claimants by contacting their communities, but without much success.They were mostly from Willemklopperville in Potchefstroom, Alexandra, Lady Selborne, Klipriviersorg and Wallsmanthal. “If I knew had a cheque waiting for me, I would have a bee in my bonnet about the money,” he said. “I just don’t understand it.”
Mphela’s work in Gauteng is almost done, although the deadline for land claims to be settled has been extended by three years. He said 99% of claims in Gauteng had been settled, most of them through cash awards.