Land Restitution needs more money
National Treasury has cut the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform's land restitution budget.
In the medium term budget policy statement, the restitution programme was cut to R2,9bn. But there are currently 397 000 new land claims that need to be processed and R2.9 billion is simply not sufficient.
Since the initial land claims window period closed in 1998, government has only finalised and settled some 59 000 of 77 000 valid claims at a cost of R25.2 billion.
Based on this, government may need as much as R169 billion to settle the outstanding claims.
Concerningly, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform appears blithely unconcerned. During a Rural Development and Land Reform portfolio committee meeting last week, the Director-General of the Department said: "National Treasury will have to find the money, as it is a Constitutional obligation."