Cape Town – A District Six claimant, who tried to sell the rights to their claim, has made a U-turn after a backlash from civic organisations and other claimants.
This was according to Remax estate agent Reza Rajie, who placed the advertisement on behalf of the claimant, which had offered the claimant’s registration for the area’s third-phase housing development.
The advertisement had caused division among claimants and various civic leaders, said District Six Working Committee (D6WC) chairperson Shahied Ajam.
Rajie would not provide his client’s name, to protect their identity, but said they had provided proof that they were land claimants.
“This person came to us with the relevant documentation from the department of Rural Development and Land Reform, saying that they are claimants and are moving to the third-phase housing development.
“The Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994 states that the claimant must inform the regional land claims commissioner with one month’s
written notice of their intention to do so.
“We were in the process of doing so once we had obtained a buyer, so as
to protect both buyer and seller,” he said.
According to the Restitution of Land Rights Act, chapter 2 number 7a, no person may sell, exchange, donate, lease, subdivide, rezone or develop the land in question without having given the regional land claims commissioner one month’s written notice of his or her intention to do so.
The D6WC had reported the advertisement to the national and provincial claims commissioner.
Ajam said that the estate agent had sowed divisions among claimants who were waiting decades to return to the historic area.
“How can anyone sell something that they do not have, where is
the title deed that they have to this
property?
“This entire debacle has sowed division within the claimants, because land remains an emotional issue.
“Here we are 20 years into democracy, and 80- and 90-year-old claimants are contacting me non-stop because they hear people are selling their birthrights,” he said.
Department of Rural Development and Land Reform spokesperson Phuti Mabelebele said the department was investigating.