The Portfolio Committee on Land Reform and Rural Development today received further progress briefings from the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights, and the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality on the Westbank Land Restitution Settlement.
The committee received an update on the Westbank Restitution Project, which is intended to restore housing opportunities to families forcibly removed from Westbank in East London during apartheid. Although the claim was settled in 2000 and commitments were made by multiple spheres of government, beneficiaries are still waiting for the homes promised to them more than two decades later. The committee noted with concern that houses have not yet been constructed for restitution beneficiaries, despite substantial planning and investment over the years.
The committee expressed serious concern that the Westbank Restitution Project, despite being intended to advance restitution and restore dignity, has been undermined by institutional fragmentation and prolonged implementation delays. The committee identified several obstacles that continue to delay implementation. These include disputes over community representation, delays in beneficiary verification, a shortage of residential sites relative to the number of beneficiaries, land invasions on property earmarked for development, funding shortfalls for housing construction, and prolonged periods in which key coordinating structures were not functioning effectively.
Members expressed concern that the challenges affecting the Westbank restitution project point to broader weaknesses within South Africa’s restitution system. The recurring themes of inadequate coordination, weak accountability and delayed implementation continue to undermine the rights and expectations of beneficiaries.
The committee therefore believes that urgent corrective action is required to ensure the Westbank restitution process is placed on a clear, coordinated and accountable implementation path. The committee has called for a clear comprehensive time bound implementation and recovery plan agreed to by all responsible institutions.
The committee expects urgent action to finalise beneficiary verification, address land and housing shortfalls, resolve disputes relating to community representation, reactivate coordinating structures, and secure the financial resources required to complete the housing development. The committee will continue exercising close oversight until tangible progress is achieved and beneficiaries receive the restitution outcomes promised to them.
The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Albert Mncwango, emphasised that land reform and restitution programmes must ultimately be measured by the extent to which they improve the lives of beneficiaries. The committee noted that there is a need to top up the fund because there’s a deficit in what was approved when the claim was settled.
“The committee is concerned that too many beneficiaries have waited years, and in some cases decades, for the benefits that were promised through restitution. Public resources were invested to promote dignity and inclusion. Government institutions must now demonstrate urgency, accountability and commitment to ensuring that these objectives are realised,” Mr Mncwango said.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
