KOMISHINI YA PUSETSO YA DITSHWANELO TSA LEFATSHE

KOMMISSIE OP HERSTEL VAN GRONDREGTE

MEDIA-ALERT

KEIDEBEES-BLIKKIES LAND CLAIM

1. BACKGROUND

The Northern Cape’s Commission on Restitution of Land Rights will be settling its biggest urban land claim on Friday, 27^TH of February 2004. The Keidebees and Blikkies communities of Upington lodged their land rights claims with the Northern Cape/Free State Regional Land Claims Commission in 1998, approval to settle the claim was granted on the 16^th January 2004. The claimants were removed from Blikkies and Keidebees through forceful removals that were orchestrated by the apartheid government in the sixties. A total of close to R18, 7 million will be paid out to 3 440 beneficiaries.

The Keidebees land claim measures 14.6015 hectares and the Blikkies site 16.5486 hectares. The areas are currently owned by the //Khara Hais Municipality. The Blikkies area is known as Progress Township.

The event will be held at the Dan Kuyls stadium on Friday the 27^th February 2004 as part of the provincial government’s ten-year democratic governance celebrations. A total of 688 claimants, about 3440 beneficiaries, are looking forward to the celebration as a symbolic finalisation of their long wait for restitution. Five of the 688 claimants have chosen resettlement on alternative land while 693 have opted for financial compensation.

Collaboration with the // Khara Hais municipality will enable the 5 claimants to obtain serviced sites, Mr Gift van Staden, major of // Khara Hais emphasised that the five claimants do not have to be confined to any of the former ‘bantu townships’ but are free to choose a serviced site in any of the so-called suburbs in Upington. The occasion will be graced by the Deputy Minister of Land Affairs Mr. Dirk Du Toit and dignitaries from the provincial government and the Chief Land Claims Commission office in Pretoria. The awards are expected to alleviate the high levels of poverty in the Upington area.

Enquiries: Thato Bereng – 082 5666 346/Thabo Mothibi –083 2558 840