Programme News
30 August 2013
(News)
Prospecting for one of the world's largest platinum mines has already taken farming land from a Limpopo community.
Their future is uncertain and people are getting angrier about living in limbo
In 1994, most South Africans opened the gates to freedom. In that year, Frank Mofokeng* lost his ancestral plot and his only source of income.
One morning he woke up and walked the few kilometres to...
19 August 2013
(News)
The plight of thousands of people from across Africa, dispossessed of their land to make way for commercial activity, is to be discussed in the Pan African Parliament.
The issue first came up at a two-day hearing at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, during the continent's first ever land grab rights hearings on Thursday and Friday.
Highlighting the plight of hundreds of Limpopo people, Brand...
11 August 2013
(News)
The political backlash against Land Minister Gugile Nkwinti might reverse what had seemed a cut-and-dried deal to pay about R1 billion to a multimillionaire game rancher in a controversial land restitution deal.
Sources inside the department said while the minister was still eager to settle, paying R1 billion for one land claim might not be the best political option.
At the same time, Nkwinti was...
6 August 2013
(News)
An affidavit by Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti on the state’s intended purchase of the MalaMala Game Reserve makes it clear the purchase price will be negotiated with the owners based on figures presented to the Land Claims Court.
Mr Nkwinti was reported to have already settled to pay the owners the full market price of R1bn, creating fears that the deal...
5 August 2013
(News)
The government has agreed to pay out more than R1-billion to settle a land claim against one of South Africa's most exclusive game lodges, the five-star Mala Mala reserve in Mpumalanga.
The deal between Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti and multimillionaire lodge owner Michael Rattray will wipe out a vast chunk of the national Land Claims Commission budget for the year. The system was set...
17 July 2013
(Press release)
Lawyers for Human Rights have secured an urgent order halting the unlawful demolition of homes in the Road Reserve community in Atteridgeville by the City of Tshwane.
The case will return to the urgent court in the North Gauteng High Court on 23 July when LHR will seek to have the municipality rebuild the demolished homes and return confiscated property.
LHR first took on the case when the...
PRESS RELEASE: Court orders City of Tshwane to rebuild Bronkhorstspruit homes after illegal eviction
10 July 2013
(Press release)
Lawyers for Human Rights and the City of Tshwane have come to an agreement regarding the illegal eviction of over 200 families from Bronkhorstspruit last month.
It has been agreed that the City of Tshwane will rebuild the demolished homes within the next 10 days. They must also return the belongings that were confiscated during the eviction.
LHR launched an urgent application last...
23 June 2013
(News)
Homes of about 200 families were demolished and their belongings confiscated by Tshwane metro police last week.
The Tshwane Municipality said these families occupied the area illegally.
But Lawyers for Human Rights said the evictions were illegal.
The organisation is now threatening legal action against the Tshwane Municipality.
“The City of Tshwane was supposed to institute proper legal...
16 May 2013
(News)
Laywers for Human Rights are set on paving the way for future land reform and creating a precedent on how displaced communities will settle with support from the government in future.
3 May 2013
(Press release)
Lawyers for Human Rights is pushing to set a land reform precedent in post-settlement support by which future land claims will follow.
LHR on Thursday made submissions in the Supreme Court of Appeal in a bid to have an earlier decision overturned relating to the Baphring community that is trying to have tribal land returned.
The Baphiring case was punted by the SCA as one of the first to set a...