National
Cape Town a step closer to getting Constantia land to claimants─── 13:30 Thu, 09 Feb 2017
Cape Town – The City of Cape Town on Wednesday handed six hectares of property in Constantia to the Regional Land Claims Commission, in an effort to accelerate the transfer of land to claimants.
Eight families were forcefully removed from the land in 1961, after the area was declared whites only in terms of the Group Areas Act. The commission would now have to approve the transfer of the land, valued at R120 million, to the families.
In her speech at Wednesday’s event, Mayor Patricia de Lille said it was an injustice that families had to wait 25 years for progress after the original land claim was made.
“It is unacceptable that people are dying before getting to enjoy the benefit of the land which is rightfully theirs,” De Lille said.
De Lille said she took another look at the land claim after the city approved an organisational development and transformation plan in August. She decided that the city’s role in the land claim had to be concluded as soon as possible.
The city had transferred 14 properties for restitution purposes in Somerset West, Simon’s Town, Milnerton, Claremont, and Dido Valley.
De Lille promised to resolve six additional land claims by the end of her term in office.
The move by the city takes place four days before the anniversary of the District Six removals.
