Cape Town - A family from Lotus River on Tuesday became the proud owners of four hectares of land in the area, half a century after their parents were forcibly removed under the apartheid era Group Areas Act.
“Today, it is a privilege to release these 4 hectares of land, worth about R1,8 million, for settling the land claim of the family of the late Garaniesa Davids and Doud Davids who lost this land during forced removals in the apartheid period due to racial discrimination,” Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille told the family during a land restitution event.
The Davids family in Lotus River listened to de Lille speak about how the devastating effects of the aftermath of the 1913 Natives Land Act wrought havoc on millions of South Africans lives.
“Its legacy is still one of the biggest issues that our nation faces to date,” said de Lille.
The Land Act and Group Areas Act saw many non-white South Africans forcibly dispossessed of their land.
undefinedSince the introduction of land restitution laws, many families affected by the racist legislation have fought to regain possession of their land or those of their ancestors.
The surviving family members of the Davids family know all too well the bureaucratic tangles and delays that come with fighting to reclaim land.
De Lille told the Davids’ family’s story, tracing it back to a time when Lotus River was declared a coloured group area in 1961.
“Mr Doud Davids purchased this land when he stayed in a corrugated structure on the street to the left here,” said de Lille.
Davids lived there with his wife Garaniesa and their eight children.
Davids bought the land in 1963, and a mere two years later in 1965, he was dispossessed of this land. After this, de Lille said Davids, who like many, dreamed of a future in which their children would own their own homes, “was able to purchase a house right opposite this land on 6th Avenue.”
The family had to endure the pain of living right opposite the parcel of land they knew were rightfully theirs, but which they could not legally occupy during the apartheid years.
Davids died in 1980, and his wife Garaniesa passed away in 2011, but not before she took up the fight for rightful ownership to the family’s land.
David’s wife lodged a land restitution claim on February 7, 1996, and before she died, she made her children promise that they would continue to fight for what was theirs.
De Lille said: “Land restitution is of great significance to the City of Cape Town because it is one of the greatest opportunities for redress and reconciliation. We want to play our part in righting the wrongs of the past. It is through healing in this manner that we can build a city where everyone feels a stronger sense of belonging.”
Furthermore, de Lille emphasised that in the City’s goals in building an inclusive city, it is necessary for the city’s administration to prioritise land restitution claims.
De Lille commended the family for their perseverance and said that she hoped more South African families who are fighting to reclaim land they were dispossessed of would draw hope from the Davids’ family’s victory.
“I hope that this story of hope reaches the ears of other claimants who are awaiting their own justice. The story of the Davids’ teaches us not to lose hope. I hope that they will be as inspired as I am, and remember to continue on,” she said.
ANA