After decades of waiting, members of the Mtshoeni/Mtsweni family in Mpumalanga, are set to receive land and title deeds to property their ancestors once occupied, in a move government says represents a step toward restoring dignity and addressing historical injustices.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile will on Friday hand over the land and title deeds to the family, also known as the Schulk Marhiqa Communal Property Association (CPA).
The claim involves 18 households and 86 beneficiaries and covers more than 627 hectares within the jurisdiction of Govan Mbeki Local Municipality in Mpumalanga.
According to the Presidency, the claimant family lived on the properties as far back as the early 1700s. The claim was submitted before the old-order deadline of 31 December 1998 under the Restitution of Land Rights Act by Schulk Ngazimbi Marhiqa Mtshoeni on behalf of the affected families.
The land parcels to be handed over include two properties on the Grootvlei 293 IS Farm, specifically Portions 24 and 26. Ownership will rest with the claimant families through the Schulk Marhiqa CPA.
The Presidency said the process forms part of the broader work carried out over the past three decades by the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights, which focuses on addressing dispossession by restoring land to rightful claimants.
Government has described each resolved claim and transferred title deed as a concrete step toward justice and national transformation, emphasising that land restitution is not only about compensation but also about restoring identity, belonging and opportunities for communities affected by past injustices.
Deputy President Mashatile will be joined during the handover in Secunda by the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Mzwanele Nyhontso. The ceremony will take place in the Gert Sibande District of Mpumalanga. – SAnews.gov.za
