Early in 2015, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform officially launched the Free State’s mobile land claims lodgement office.
Mobile land claims offices form part of government’s Land Restitution Programme.
The land claims process enables people who were forcibly removed from their land under apartheid to lodge land claims.
Since the official launch, government - through the Office of the Chief Lands Claims Commissioner and the various provincial departments of rural development - has encouraged people to lodge claims.
To ensure that the maximum number of potential claimant communities is reached, the mobile lodgement offices will travel around the country to receive claims, in addition to the 14 permanent lodgement offices situated across all nine provinces.
The mobile offices are specially equipped vehicles fitted with technology to process applications for land clams on site.
Four buses and two all-terrain four-wheel-drive trucks will be deployed to the identified communities over the next four years, ending on 30 June 2019.
What is a land claim?
A land claim is a written request made by a person, a direct descendant of a person, an estate or a community for the return of land.
Who can lodge a land claim?
A person or a community dispossessed of land after 19 June 1913 because of past race laws and who did not receive fair compensation at the time of dispossession.
Who may not lodge a claim?
Those who have claimed before and received land or financial compensation may not claim again for the same right lost.
If you have lodged a claim before but have not yet been compensated, verify that the provincial office has your original claim before you resubmit a claim.
Do not lodge a new claim if your claim is still being processed. It is illegal to submit a fraudulent claim by not disclosing other potential interested parties.
What information is needed?
- The description of the property, e.g. farm name, Erf or stand number if it’s in an urban area.
- The year of dispossession
- Compensation that was paid at the time.
- Details of the person who lost the right.
- Details of the claimant and the capacity in which you are acting, e.g. community representative, son, executor of an estate, etc.
- History of the land dispossession.
How to submit a claim?
Claims must be lodged at a designated lodgement office on a prescribed form, which will be captured electronically during the lodgement.
Forms will not be distributed. You have to visit a lodgement office to claim.
You have until 30 June 2019 to lodge a claim. Mobile lodgement offices will visit districts during the claim period.
How to follow up
You can phone the toll-free number 0800 007 095 or contact a provincial office for information on progress of your claim.
Mobile offices in the Eastern Cape
Since April, mobile land claim lodgement offices have been traversing the Eastern Cape. Below are the details of the remaining dates, venues and times when the office will visit various communities across the province:
Date: 04 July to 05 July 2016
Towns: Bethelsdorp
Venue: West End Hall
Time: 09h00 – 17h00
Contact person: Nandipha Sondati
Cell no: 072 611 3990
Contact person: Bongani Letlaka
Cell no: 071 287 3622
Date: 06 July to 08 July 2016
Town: Motherwell
Venue: Raymond Mhlaba Sport Centre
Time: 09h00 – 17h00
Contact person: Nandipha Sondati
Cell no: 072 611 3990
Contact person: Bongani Letlaka
Cell no: 071 287 3622
Date: 11 July to 12 July 2016
Town: Mthatha
Venue: Mthatha Town Hall
Time: 09h00 – 17h00
Contact person: Nandipha Sondati
Cell no: 072 611 3990
Contact person: Bongani Letlaka
Cell no: 071 287 3622
Date: 13 July 2016
Town: Libode
Venue: Libode Municipality Hall
Time: 09h00 – 17h00
Contact person: Nandipha Sondati
Cell no: 072 611 3990
Contact person: Bongani Letlaka
Cell no: 071 287 3622
Date: 14 July to 15 July 2016
Town: Port St John’s
Venue: Port St John’s Town Hall
Time: 09h00 – 17h00
Contact person: Nandipha Sondati
Cell no: 072 611 3990
Contact person: Bongani Letlaka
Cell no: 071 287 3622
Date: 18 July to 19 July 2016
Town: Lusikisiki
Venue: Lusikisiki Police Station
Time: 09h00 – 17h00
Contact person: Nandipha Sondati
Cell no: 072 611 3990
Contact person: Bongani Letlaka
Cell no: 071 287 3622
Date: 20 July to 22 July 2016
Town: Flagstaff
Venue: Flagstaff Bargain Wholesaler
Time: 09h00 – 17h00
Contact person: Nandipha Sondati
Cell no: 072 611 3990
Contact person: Bongani Letlaka
Cell no: 071 287 3622
Date: 25 July to 26 July 2016
Town: Mbizana
Venue: Mbizana Rank opposite Spar
Time: 09h00 – 17h00
Contact person: Nandipha Sondati
Cell no: 072 611 3990
Contact person: Bongani Letlaka
Cell no: 071 287 3622
Date: 27 July to 28 July 2016
Town: Matatiele
Venue: Matatiele Town Hall
Time: 09h00 – 17h00
Contact person: Nandipha Sondati
Cell no: 072 611 3990
Contact person: Bongani Letlaka
Cell no: 071 287 3622
From the 29 July 2016, the mobile offices will move to KwaZulu-Natal.
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