Put land ownership to the vote, say traditional leaders

Traditional leaders are calling for a referendum to facilitate the process of bringing back the land to its original owners.

- Masoka Dube

Chief Mathupa Mokoena, president of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa), said yesterday he was reliably informed that there were more than 75 land claims that have not yet been processed.

"Now it is clear that for those land claims to be completed, it will take another 30 years, and being as it may, even more than 30 years," he said.

"Parliament tried to expedite this process, but still beneficiaries are not getting their land back. The signing of the Land Expropriation Act by President Cyril Ramaphosa is not allowing our people to get their land back.

"Based on these facts, Contralesa is calling for a referendum, which will allow people to decide how to deal with the land question once and for all.

"Parliament must start the process that will allow the people of our country to vote on this matter. The president must immediately, after the parliamentary process, set up a date for the referendum to take place," said Mokoena.