essay land act 1913 pictures

The 1913 Land Act: The Cornerstone of the Apartheid

What happened in south africa from 1954 to 1991.

By Africa Media Online

Forced removals (1984) Original Source: Paul Weinberg / South Photos

Apartheid in South Africa: forced removals

The 1913 Land Act prohibited "black" people from buying or renting land in areas designated as "white". This legislation was one of the cornerstones of apartheid and paved the way for further legislation restricting the rights of black people and their ownership of land. In order to fulfil this legislation the government took measures to forcibly remove black people from areas set aside for white people.

Forced removals (1955) Original Source: Baileys African History Archive

1954: The Native Resettlement Act The first sixty families in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, had been given orders to leave their houses, and offered accommodation in the new location in Meadowlands. "You are hereby required in terms of the Native Resettlement Act 1954 to vacate the premises in which you are residing..." The first date given is February 12th.

1955: the move The first sixty families in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, have been given orders to leave their houses, and have been offered accommodation in the new location in Meadowlands. "You are hereby required in terms of the Native Resettlement Act 1954 to vacate the premises in which you are residing..."

Forced removals (1959-10-25) Original Source: Baileys African History Archive

1959: Sophia Refugee crying in the street "I used to play here with my mates when this was our house, when Mom and Dad and Me lived here. But then the Big Men and The Big Machines came and knocked down all the houses and my friends have gone away and I'm lonely and I don't know where we're going now. That's why I'm crying."

Forced Removals (1974) Original Source: Paul Alberts

Cape Town, 1974 Reality of District 6.

Forced removals (1974) Original Source: Paul Alberts

1974: Forced removals Buildings in Cape Town's District Six being demolished.

Apartheid Land Removals (1983-01-08) Original Source: Gille de Vlieg / South Photos

1983: Dumped! Beestekraal was a 'dumping ground' for those forcibly removed under the apartheid system. They were given tents and toilets. Farmworkers evicted from their farms also were sent here.

Women, Housing, Apartheid Land Removals, Rural Townships (1984-06-26) Original Source: Gille de Vlieg / South Photos

1984: Number 239 Home in Valspan, an area threatened by apartheid forced removals. The residents were not allowed to repair their homes, and only very basic services were provided. The Apartheid government then designated the area a 'slum'. The number on the door indicates that removal is immanent

Women, Gender lifestyle, Farmworkers, Apartheid Forced Removals (1984-10-05) Original Source: Gille de Vlieg / South Photos

1984: Mrs Hlatswayo Mrs Hlatswayo built a new home in Driefontein, which was an area deemed a 'black spot' by the apartheid government. Farmworkers who were evicted from neighbouring white owned farms were given refuge in Driefontein. Mr Timothy Hlatswayo had been injured when the tractor driving farmworkers home, overturned. The farmer refused to accept responsibility for the accident, and evicted him from the farm.

Rural Leader, Apartheid Land Removals, Housing, Rural Townships (1984-06-18) Original Source: Gille de Vlieg / South Photos

1984: Mr Cwaile, Valspan activist, outside his home Valspan was an area threatened by apartheid forced removals. The residents were not allowed to repair their homes and only very basic services were provided. The apartheid government then designated the area a 'slum'. The number on the door indicates that removal is immanent.

Women, Apartheid Land Removals (1984-09-03) Original Source: Gille de Vlieg / South Photos

1984: A 'black spot' Tinkie, a praise singer, with Jill, a member of Black Sash. Mathopiestad was a productive farming area deemed a 'black spot' by the apartheid Government and threatened by forced removal.

Mogopa Community/Forced Removals (1984-01-01) Original Source: Paul Weinberg / South Photos

1984: Packed and forced to leave A man has been forced to leave his home in Moogopa.

Rural, Women, Gender lifestyle, Apartheid Land Removals (1985-06-02) Original Source: Gille de Vlieg / South Photos

1985: Woman plastering walls with mud Daggakraal was an area deemed a 'black spot' by the apartheid government and was threatened with forced removal. Maintaining the home was seen as resistance to removal.

Apartheid Land Removals, Homelands, Toilets (1986-07-02) Original Source: Gille de Vlieg / South Photos

1986: Toilets and thorn bushes People who were forcibly removed by the Apartheid Government, were sometimes given tents but toilets were always available. This sight of rows of toilets in desolate areas would give knowledge of immanent forced removals.

Apartheid Land Removals, Women, Resistance (1987-03-12) Original Source: Gille de Vlieg / South Photos

1987: The resistance Women clearing communal areas as part of the resistance against removal. The people of Oukasie (Brits) were threatened with removal to Lethlabile an area in Bophuthatswana.

Forced removals (1987) Original Source: Guy Tillim

1987: Betty Nakona Betty Nakona dumped with her possessions in a resettlement area in Botshabelo.

Apartheid Land Removals, Rural, Meetings (1988-11-22) Original Source: Gille de Vlieg / South Photos

1988: What's next? Meeting under tree to discuss possible removal from their land at Ntombi's Camp in KwaZuluNatal.

Apartheid Land Removal, Mogopa, Court, Lawyers (1989-04-26) Original Source: Gille de Vlieg / South Photos

1989: Preparing for court Lawyer Nicholas (Fink) Haysom with Lydia Kompe explaining to Mogopa people what may happen in court. The Bakwena ba Mogopa were removed from their farms on 14 February 1984 to Pachsdraai, an area in the Bophuthatswana 'homeland'. From there some of them preferred to live on their Paramount Chief's land and some were later moved to Onderstepoort.

Land removals (1989) Original Source: Paul Grendon / South Photos

1989: The resistance to the removals Residents and representatives of various organisations take part in a march on municipal offices in Port Nolloth to demand that Tente Dorp not be moved.

Apartheid Land Removals, Music, Homelands (1986-07-02) Original Source: Gille de Vlieg / South Photos

The resilient spirit of Africa Music was a solution to make the most of being forcibly removed.

Forced removals (1991) Original Source: Graeme Williams / South Photos

1991: Squatters Police watch squatters whose homes have been demolished.

Photographer — Gille de Vlieg / South Photographs Photographer — Paul Weinberg / South Photographs Photographer — Paul Grendon / South Photographs Photographer — Graeme Williams / South Photographs Photographer — Cedric Nunn Photographic Archive — Baileys African History Archive Photographer — Paul Alberts / South Photographs Photographer — Guy Tillim / South Photographs

11 February 1990: Mandela's Release from Prison

Africa media online, what happened at the treason trial, 9 august 1956: the women's anti-pass march, the signs that defined the apartheid, leadership during the rise and fall of apartheid, apartheid signs, womens anti-pass march, mandela released, soweto riots, sharpeville massacre.

WITH GALLERY: The 1913 Land Act realised through photos

by Pheladi Sethusa | Aug 29, 2013

The entrance to the exhibition commemorating the 1913 Land Act. Photo: Nolwazi Mjwara

Prof Tawane Kupe, deputy vice-chancellor at Wits, looks at images from the exhibition. Photo: Nolwazi Mjwara

Attendees look at works by David Goldblatt at the Wits Arts Museum. Photo: Nolwazi Mjwara

GETTING A CLOSER LOOK: Visitors view the prints that commemorate the 1913 Land Act. Photo: Nolwazi Mjwara

Prof Tawana Kupe stands with curator Bongi Dhlomo-Matloa and photographer David Goldblatt. Photo: Nolwazi Mjwara

Veteran South African photographer David Goldblatt thanked guests and the Wits Art Museum for the exhibition. Photo: Nolwazi Mjwara

A crowd of eager art lovers could not resist the magnetism of the historical photographic archive dating back to the 1800’s and commemorating the 1913 Land Act.

The exhibition  Umhlaba 1913-2013: Commemorating the 1913 Land Act  opened this week at the Gertrude Posel Core Gallery in the Wits Art Museum .

1913 Land Act

This year  marks 100 years since the  1913 Land Act  was passed. The act helped to successfully disenfranchise indigenous South African’s in terms of land ownership and its repercussions are still felt today.

Curator of the Umhlaba Exhibiton, Bongi Dhlomo-Matloa said that the exhibition’s purpose was to help people remember their history. “Commemoration is a relative term here, we are remembering this act that left blacks with only 7% of the land,” she said. Dhlomo-Matloa coincidently wore a black and white ensemble matching the monochromatic nature of most of the photographs on display. She said it was merely a coincidence but nonetheless she carried the colours of our history around her neck and on her shoulders.

Remembering history

Next to the exhibition’s entrance was a plaque detailing the aims, limitations and history behind the curation. “No single photographic exhibition could illustrate the full diversity of our complex realities,” but this by no means, kept the artist/photographer from making an attempt  to illustrate those complex realities.

This history could not only be seen, but was also heard as  jazz, afro-soul and choral music ushered people up the ramp and along the walls of the gallery. It was quite jarring  to hear the juxtaposition between Miriam Makeba’s voice sing  Gauteng  and then immediately after, a choir sing  Die Stem , while standing at the wall with all the apartheid-era photography on it.

Photographic reality

Fourth year photography student Melissa Bennett, said  she loved how the photos told a story of overcoming boundaries. She was also particularly intrigued by the way the photos had been arranged  according to a historical timeline.

Dhlomo-Matloa said that the exhibition  was displayed in chronological sequence laid out in a timeline to reflect how things and people changed as time went on. Although a huge amount of images were available, budget and space constraints restricted how many photographs could be exhibited.

The photography on display showcases some of the most talented photographers in the country, like  Peter Magubane ,  Paul Weinburg  and Ingrid Hudson.

After a walk about the whole gallery, the reality of our history was more than apparent. The exhibition will be on display until January 2014.

Watch the video below in which curator Dhlomo-Matloa talks about the exhibition:

RELATED ARTICLES: 

• Wits Vuvuzela . ‘Art in Motion’ fascinates audiences . August 4, 2013

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

We Should Be Writing podcast

• In-depth: Inner city student housing In this episode, we explore the feasibility of social housing for students, and the advantages and disadvantages that the inner city offers to the development of a student precinct.

You are here

The 1913 land act.

Disclaimer: Any views expressed by individuals and organisations are their own and do not in any way represent the views of The Heritage Portal. If you find any mistakes or historical inaccuracies, please contact the editor.

In the article below, journalist Lucille Davie unpacks the complex and painful history behind the 1913 Land Act. The article was first published on the Brand South Africa website on 17 October 2013 . Click here to view more of Davie's work .

In 1913 law-abiding people were dispossessed of their only means of earning a living: land. The Native Land Act of 1913 forced millions of black South Africans from productive farms across the country, when their cattle, their homes, their crops and their possessions, were taken from them.

Around 7% of land was then relegated to black people, spread along the eastern coastal area, from East London in the Eastern Cape, upwards, to the border with Mozambique, and dots of land in Limpopo and North West provinces. 

Native Land Act Map via Human Awareness.jpeg

Map of the distribution of land according to the Act 

Prior to the act, most of these black farmers were tenants on white farms, ploughing a portion of land given to them, and giving up to 50% of the harvest to the landlord, to pay for their tenancy. Now the act prohibited them from hiring or buying land. The landlord-tenant relationship was now a criminal offence, for which farmers could be fined £100, a considerable sum in those days. The black tenants would then be given a stark option: become the farmer’s paid servants, or leave the farm. 

Native Life in South Africa

Sol Plaatje, in his 1916 book, Native Life in South Africa, before and since the European War and the Boer Rebellion , describes the disruption to people’s lives after the act was passed. Plaatje, who was born in the Free State in 1874, was a journalist and writer, and one of the co-founders of the African National Congress in 1912. He could speak six African languages, in addition to English, Dutch and German, and translated two of Shakespeare’s plays. He wrote a novel, entitled Mhudi, and published books of Tshwana folktales and proverbs.

Sol Plaatje - Native life in South Africa - book cover.png

Plaatje writes that the law “makes it illegal for natives to live on farms except as servants in the employ of Europeans”. It didn’t end there. Black people were also not allowed to live in a municipal area or own property in urban localities. “He can only live in town as a servant in the employ of a European.”

Europeans were considered to be any white person, originally settlers from Europe. The act in effect reduced the land owning of blacks to just 7%, in a country where they had settled almost 2 000 years before. The pastoral Khoi and hunter/gatherer Bushmen, the first people of South Africa, dating back some 40 000 years, were the first to be squeezed off their land by the early colonists, becoming servants to them, or worse, being shot and killed like game. Europeans colonised the country from 1652, the Dutchman Jan van Riebeeck creating a refreshment station at Cape Town. 

By the late 1700s the first trekboers or Dutch farmers starting moving beyond the borders of the colony, into the Eastern Cape and the Free State. By the 1830s they had moved with their cattle into the Transvaal, now Gauteng, and into KwaZulu-Natal. By 1850 the Boers had demarcated the north-east of the country for themselves, forcing blacks into smaller and smaller portions of the land called “native reserves”. Others were allowed to keep smallholdings on a white farmer’s land, paying 50% of their crops over to the landlord.

Over the next 150 years blacks were forced, through poll and hut taxes, to leave the land and become servants and labourers. When gold was discovered in Johannesburg in 1886, thousands of labourers were required.

Miners Monument - Heritage Portal - 2012 - 4.jpg

Miner's Monument, Johannesburg (The Heritage Portal)

Hearing and collecting stories

Plaatje spent several months after the act came into effect travelling around on a bicycle, hearing and collecting stories from those newly evicted off the land. He recounts a case where a young couple, with a sick baby, were forced off the land. They hitched up their wagon and after two nights on the road, their baby died. Having no land to bury the child, the only place where they were legitimate was the public road. They didn’t have a choice.

Photograph of Sol Plaatje from his 1915 book Native Life in South Africa via wikipedia.jpg

Sol Plaatje (via Wikipedia)

“This young wandering family decided to dig a grave under cover of the darkness of that night, when no one was looking, and in that crude manner the dead child was interred – and interred amid fear and trembling, as well as the throbs of a torturing anguish, in a stolen grave, lest the proprietor of the spot, or any of his servants, should surprise them in the act.”

Plaatje tells of a widow with her two teenage children and a toddler. When the law was passed, she was hopeful, being a widow, that she would be allowed to stay. She hoped that the “landlord would propose reasonable terms for her; but instead, his proposal was that she should dispose of her stock and indenture her children to him. This sinister proposal makes it evident that farmers not only expect natives to render them free labour, but they actually wish the natives to breed slaves for them.”

The widow Maria could not comply with these demands, so she was told to leave. Her thatched cottage was set alight, and with her clothes on her head, her 3-year-old on her back, the family left the farm, driving her cows before her, the children weeping bitterly. Plaatje has no knowledge of what happened to the family.

Exceptions to the rule

There were exceptions to the rule. Plaatje found on his travels that some white farmers were astonished at the cruelty of the new law. These farmers continued to accept blacks as tenants on their land, in defiance of the law. “’What has suddenly happened?” one of these landlords asked. ‘We were living so nicely with your people, and why should the law unsettle them in this manner?’”

But these farmers were under pressure from their racist neighbours, who would report them to the authorities, and they would then be forced to abide by the law. The hope of finding a place to stay on a sympathetic farmer’s land, even temporarily, was often squashed when the farmers were not permitted to take them in, for fear of being reported.

There was resistance to the new law. Women in the Orange Free State (now the Free State) marched on the mayor’s offices in Bloemfontein, the capital, renamed Mangaung. Their pleas were rejected and they were thrown into prison, in deplorable conditions. 

Plaatje went to England in 1913 to protest against the law. He went again in 1919, after WW2, but he never succeeded in having it abolished or changed in any way. 

Novelist Bessie Head wrote in 1982: “The 1913 Act created a floating landless proletariat whose labour could be manipulated at will, and ensured that ownership of the land had finally passed into the hands of the ruling white race. On it rest the pass laws, the migratory labour system, influx control and a thousand other evils that affect the lives of black people in South Africa today.”

Tenancy and sharecropping

Although the 1913 act outlawed tenancy and sharecropping, both continued on a smaller scale for several decades, and black farmers continued to produce surpluses for the market. But by the 1930s white farmers, with assistance from the government, started buying tractors. It was the final nail in the coffin for black farmers, who still relied on the ox-drawn plough. They headed for the towns and cities, to work for poverty wages.

In 1936 the Native Trust and Land Act extended the 7% black ownership to 13%, but this made no difference – the land set aside for blacks was simply not enough. 

After 1948, when the Nationalist Party came into power, apartheid was formalised and more racist measures were introduced, measures that were used to further separate blacks from their land – separating them in schools, universities, residential areas, amenities, disallowing blacks from white areas, removing blacks from so-called “black spots” into the reserves, and most devastating, forcing all blacks to carry passes. Of course, passes were not new – blacks had been forced to carry permits of some form for decades. 

The Surplus People Project reported in 1985 that between 1962 and 1980 around 3,5 million people had been uprooted and relocated. In the cities people were moved from inner city areas to townships on the edges.

Pass Office Blue Plaque - Heritage Portal - 2012.jpg

A blue plaque in Johannesburg marks the site of an early Pass Office (The Heritage Portal)

Dispossession continued

The dispossession continued for decades, right into the 1980s. 

There’s the story of Ou Kas Maine, documented by the late world-renowned photographer David Goldblatt. He was a sharecropper who managed to evade the restrictions of the act by having arrangements with a number of white and black farm owners. He was born around 1894, and died in his 90s. He told Goldblatt in Afrikaans: “Die saad is myne, die skare is myne . . . die span is myne, alles is myne. Die grond is syne.” Translated this means: “The seed is mine, the plough-shares are mine . . . the span of oxen is mine, everything is mine. The land is his.”

Goldblatt photographed him in 1980 in a resettlement camp in North West province before he died in 1985. 

Seed is Mine Book Cover.jpg

The cover of Charles van Onselen's famous book

The late respected photographer Santu Mofokeng says this as a preface to his photographs: “We carry around within us images of tenant families or yokels as we sometimes refer to them. We think we know their plight: low wages, long working hours and inadequate working conditions to mention a few of the less contentious laments. Their life of hardship passes heedlessly away from the glare of television and the print media.”

There were also the “swervers” or trek folk, coloureds who travel around the Karoo on donkey carts still, all their possessions in the cart with them. They do odd shearing jobs, but live on the edge, sleeping in the veld, dispossessed of their land in the distant past.

Then there’s Fietas, an area just west of the Johannesburg city centre that was settled from the turn of the century by Malay and coloured people. It wasn’t long before Chinese, African and Indians settled in the vibrant suburb. Fourteenth Street became the shopping mecca of the town, with people coming from Pretoria to do their shopping there. But that’s what was its downfall – it was too successful and was rezoned, under the Group Area Act, as a white area, and from 1964 to 1978 the people of Fietas were moved out. Homes and shops were demolished but like a similar area in Cape Town, District Six, it has been left as a wasteland for decades, with only a few new homes going up.

Old Photo of Pageview - Fietas Museum.jpg

Old photo of Fietas (Fietas Museum)

A decade prior to this, the apartheid government sent in the bulldozers to Sophiatown, some 10km north-west of the Joburg city centre. By 1963 all that remained of this vibrant but often violent suburb were a few churches, a school and a house. A new white working-class suburb grew up from the rubble, called Triomf, meaning “triumph” in Afrikaans. In 2006 the suburb was renamed Sophiatown. It had been home to poets, writers and singers like Dolly Rathebe and Dorothy Masuka.

Church of Christ the King Sophiatown - Lucille Davie.jpg

Church of Christ the King, Sophiatown (Lucille Davie)

Restitution of land rights

Blacks were forced to give up more than their land and possessions – they gave up their freedom, to be enslaved for the next 81 years, until democracy dawned in 1994. 

The 1994 Restitution of Land Rights Act was passed to allow those who had had their land taken away with the 1913 act to apply to get their land back. And so the long and difficult process of returning land to those South Africans who had been wronged began, and continues today. 

Bushmen and Khoi people, who were the original owners of South Africa, were of course excluded from the 1913 restitution because they were dispossessed of their land a century or two beforehand. 

The land issue will probably never be finally resolved.

Lucille Davie has for many years written about South Africa's people and places, as well as the country's history and heritage. Take a look at  lucilledavie.co.za

Comments will load below. If for any reason none appear  click here for some troubleshooting tips . If you would like to post a comment and need instructions  click here .

View the discussion thread.

Whites Writing Whiteness

Letters, domestic figurations & representations of whiteness in south africa 1770s-1970s.

‘Natives’ Land Act, 1913

‘Natives’ Land Act, 1913

Please reference as: Liz Stanley (2019) ‘‘Natives’ Land Act, 1913′ www.whiteswritingwhiteness.ed.ac.uk/Traces/Land-Act/ and provide the paragraph number as appropriate when quoting.

1. The broad context

1.1 What is shown in the photograph above is the first page of a piece of legislation enacted in the South African parliament just three years after Union had occurred in 1910.

1.2 The ‘Natives Land Act’ was passed in June 1913 and is frequently described as the originating and definitional legislation in establishing the apparatus of segregation and apartheid and disappropriating South Africa’s black populations from land possession and ownership. It might be described as having mythological status in this regard, for, while not denying it had negative consequences, the in-depth historiography suggests something quite complex about the origins, content and effects of the Act. Equally or more consequential legislation had been passed earlier, the legislation itself came about because of different political purposes, its immediate effects were different in different places and in many were not as usually described, and its main negative effects occurred in the longer run and for other reasons.

1.3 Context is different from cause is different from intention is different from content is different from immediate effect is different from subsequent consequence. ‘Different’ here means that these are not coterminous, although of course they have connections.

1.4 To start at the beginning in teasing out what happened is quite difficult, because considerations of land and labour have been at the forefront of the settler presence in South Africa since the seventeenth century. For white people, land meant subsistence, livelihood and potentially wealth; labour meant that more land could be used for animals or crops; cheap labour meant that livelihood and wealth could be greater; constrained labour fettered to particular places meant compliance. Approaches which emphasise one or the other miss the point because, like horses and carriages, land and labour, labour and land, have each implied the other in this settler context.

1.5 In addition, from early on, ordinances were passed in both British colonies and Boer republics which legislated that people ‘out of place’ from a particular legitimated land-holding had to have passes which allowed them to be legitimately so, or otherwise legalised punishment would follow. These points about the evolution and enforcement of a pass system to regulate labour in and out of place need to be factored into the land and labour relationship.

1.6 ‘The beginning’ might be quite difficult to decide upon, then, but earlier consequential official Acts which came into existence well before 1913 are known about. A number of these could be mentioned; but albeit one point in a long line of successive official measures, the Glen Grey Act of 1894 still stands out. It was passed in the Cape Colony under the Premiership of Cecil John Rhodes, but was seen and intended to act as a template more widely across South Africa and in other settler colonies as well. It limited the land available to African peoples by demarcating locations in an area, specified the maximum amount of land that could be held, instituted a system of primogeniture, stopped mortgages, and inhibited if not entirely prevented land sales. The intention and effects were to create ‘native place’ and, when this was insufficient for its growing surplus population, to ensure that they entered a wage-labour market whilst still belonging to the ‘native place’.

1.7 The 1913 Land Act came about at the end of this long and largely gradual and piecemeal process, which had variations in different areas of the country. The Act recognised rather than caused dispossession as an ‘already in process’ matter in particular areas of what had become South Africa in 1910.

1.8 Also part of the wider context is that the different white populations and the politicians who represented them in what became the Union government in 1910 in many respects disagreed but, as debates in the Constitutional Convention that travelled the country and recommend the centralised rather than federated way that union would occur show, they agreed on a central matter. This was regarding ‘the natives’; and as Olive Schreiner put it, the white population wanted more and more and more because they embodied labour and labour was wealth; but this ‘more’ was in a context in which such things as the Bambatha Rebellion in Natal in 1908 must not occur again and could not occur anywhere else either. Union and the combination of the earlier separated settler states was the safeguard.

1.9 And what of these political and related differences? Again, many could be picked out, but the most salient for this discussion concerns disagreements between Transvaal and Free State politicians, which had occurred earlier regarding the conduct of the South African War and the peace treaty ending it, but also with regard to accepting or not the limited franchise accorded to property-owning black men in the Cape, working with or resenting and opposing the remaining shreds of British Imperial involvement in South Africa post-1910, and concerning the kind of legislation that should be passed in relation to white interests and specifically those of the Boer or Afrikaner population.

2. Pre-text

2.1 The wider circumstances also impacted on the particular factors which led to the Natives Land Bill being drafted, debated, then passed. They were filtered through political differences which became increasingly severe disagreements, with Feinberg (1993) having provided a detailed and substantiated account of how the political process developed.

2.2 Louis Botha was appointed as the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa. In spite of their differences and with some reluctance, he appointed Hertzog, a Free State political luminary, to the Union cabinet because his political importance was such that he could not be side-lined. In office as minister of justice, Hertzog promoted dual language teaching in schools and giving parity to Dutch and English in official contexts, and also opposed many policies connected with the rapprochement with Britain. Disagreements about these reached a head; Hertzog would not resign; Botha resigned the government but was asked to form another; he appointed a new cabinet excluding Hertzog.

2.3 Outside government, Hertzog and fellow Free Staters were as much irritants as earlier. Many in the Boer/Afrikaner population were dissatisfied politically with still being aligned with Britain, and many also wanted more stringent policies regarding African populations. As well as promoting such causes, Hertzog was beginning the process which would lead to the formation and break-away of the National Party, formed in 1914.

2.4 Johannes Wilhelmus [JW] Sauer was a very experienced long-term Cape politician and held ministerial appointments in both Botha governments. Latterly he was minister of agriculture and became a point of attention for the large Boer farming population and also the Free State – and increasingly nationalist – politicians. Sauer had announced at the beginning of the 1913 session that he would not be introducing legislation to regulate land or agricultural labour, but by March this was in the offing and the Natives Land Bill was soon being debated.

2.5 A number of factors seem to have been involved. Sauer, a man of established liberal principles, was targeted for political attention; the Free State contingent of elected politicians promoted the greater regulation of land with regards to ‘Native’ interests, partly as a means of getting at Sauer, partly to annoy Botha, partly to enhance their electoral powerbase. Many different interests were represented, with some agreement that land policies needed to be changed. However, although there were complaints about the speed at which the Bill was being pushed through, including from politicians who supported it, by July it had passed into law.

2.6 Sauer died following a major stroke at the end of the year. Olive Schreiner lamented that his last political act had been to introduce this retrograde legislation, although she had never given much credence to his liberal pronouncements anyway and thought that acts (in the everyday sense of the word) speak much louder than words.

3.1 The full text of the Natives Land Act 1913 can be accessed here .

3.2 This is a relatively short piece of legislation with most of its text taken up by specifying detailed inclusions and exclusions, with a relatively small amount of words given over to saying what the Act was for and would do. It defines ‘natives’ as ‘a member of an aboriginal race or tribe’; it sets up locations – ‘scheduled native areas’ – in which ‘native’ people are to reside; it limits the buying of native land by whites, and the buying of other land by Natives; and it establishes a commission to specify which other land was to become part of these locations, planned to be considerably extended.

3.3 In more detail, people were defined as ‘native’ were prohibited from purchasing land outside the demarcated ‘scheduled native areas’; a commission (the Beaumont Commission) was to demarcate these; and this would be linked at a national level to the system of reserves already established in some parts of the country. However, although the Beaumont Commission met and made recommendations, the large increase in location lands that had been anticipated when the Act was drafted never happened, although other aspects of the legislation remained in force.

3.4 It was the provisions in the Land Act concerning tenancy that took on most importance in the period after 1913, and it is these and their effects which have been described in mythologised terms, with the rather different findings of academic research largely not having made much of an impact on popular understandings. This point will be further considered under the heading of post-text.

4. Post-text

4.1 Considerably after the event, for most people what is now known about the 1913 land Act is, even though this may not be realised, filtered through the view contained in Solomon Plaatje’s famous book, Native Life in South Africa (1916). Plaatje describes the advent of the Act as sudden and cataclysmic, that ‘the South African native found himself, not actually a slave, but a pariah in the land of his birth… a great revolutionary change . . . wrought by a single stroke of the pen’ (pp.7-8). His account was based on detailed observation and interview-style conversations during a trip on bicycle around Kimberley and the Free State, and describes the desperate situation of African sharecroppers or bywoners in the Free State who had been ejected from farms.

4.2 In one of the first accounts to make detailed use of Plaatje’s work, Wilson commented that ‘few laws passed in South Africa can have been felt with such immediate harshness by so large a section of the population’ (1971, p.128). Many similar comments have followed. There has also been a strain of detailed historical enquiry which suggests that, while valid for the area he covered, Plaatje’s account may not ‘travel’ elsewhere, where circumstances were different.

4.3 Subsequent work, initiated by Keegan (1987; and see also references at the end for other interesting discussions) suggests modifications to this as a general statement. It is likely that a significant number of Free State farmers were primed to carry out concerted action in removing African sharecroppers/bywoners from their land, influenced by debates from local political leaders. Here the Land Act was not an originating cause, but a legal measure or tool that enabled them to carry out what they had wanted to do for some time but had been previously prevented from by custom and practice and the legal situation. It is clear, for example, that such summary ejections did not happen in other areas, where the pre-Act practice of shared land use continued for a considerable time, the eastern Transvaal being a case in point.

4.4 In addition, as well as generalising from a perhaps atypical area, an edge or perspective was perhaps given to Plaatje’s view because of his role within the Tswana-speaking Barolong elite in the northern Cape/Free State, including in respect of his patron Silas Thelesho Molema. These men were amongst the most important black owners of land in private tenure, and consequently the Act ended or at best undermined their legal right to purchase land on the private market and negatively impacted on their position as landlords.

4.5 A detailed investigation of all these factors by Beinart and Delius helpfully suggests that:

“the Act did not take land away from African people directly, and in the short term had a limited impact. Its most immediate effect was to undermine black tenants on white-owned land, but even here the consequences were mixed and slow to materialise. In many ways the Land Act of 1913 was a holding operation and a statement of intent about segregation on the land. These are some of the most difficult issues in understanding the Act and its legacy, in part because the Act itself tends to become subsumed into, and ascribed responsibility for, other historical processes: dispossession during the nineteenth century and apartheid in the second half of the twentieth century. Some recent commentators also underestimate the scale and character of African settlement on white owned farms at the time – an essential element in understanding the Act.” (Beinart & Delius 2014, p.668)

5. Legacies

5.1 it seems reasonable to conclude that in the short-run the Act had serious effects in some places, but more generally the picture was much more mixed and in some, perhaps even most, areas there was little short-term change. This does not mean that changes with respect to land occupation and possession were not occurring, but that these were much more locally specific, patchy and gradual.

5.2 In the medium-term, a raft of other measures were introduced promoting segregation and then apartheid. In this regard it has been proposed that:

“The Act laid the foundation for segregation and apartheid through most of the rest of the century: the homeland policies of Hendrik Verwoerd, the imposition of state-approved and appointed Bantu Authorities, the system of influx control and the hated ‘pass’ laws, and in the towns and cities, the Group Areas Act. Forced removals continued right up to the 1970s and 80s, as people in the so-called ‘black spots’ in the ‘white’ countryside clung to their land” (Hall 2014, p.1)

5.3 Hall states there are four longer-term legacies of the Land Act – rural poverty and inequality, urban poverty and inequality, division, alienation and ‘invisibility’, and dualistic governance. However, how these are separated out from wider political machinations and policies as things ’caused’ by the Land Act is not explained or evidenced. Perhaps the most pertinent of these claims relates to ‘dualistic governance’, because the Land Act in this respect built on provisions in the 1894 Glen Grey Act which created ‘natives’ in just such a dualistic way, as belonging to a rural ‘native space’ and subject to customary rule, and as urban displaced ‘native’ labour subject to white rule.

5.4 In the long run, i.e. now, the Act has become mythologised through being conflated with and becoming a covering term for all the other changes that had happened, as in the quotation above. And in turn, its resonance in this respect comes from a reliance on Plaatje’s account, such that discussions of the Land Act often start with a quotation from Plaatje’s book, used as the evidential basis for the argument that follows.

6. And what of whiteness?

6.1 The passing of the Land Act and the way in which its solidification of dualistic governance entered the national social structure of South Africa in 1913 is important in considering whiteness and its effects. Such dualistic provisions and practices were earlier present at local levels across the former colonies and republics, but in a more varied and happenstance way. The 1913 Act stands for the combination and unity, mixed with division and disagreement, of the white presence as enacted through the formal apparatus of white rule.

6.2 The separation that it solidified between, and the subsequent co-existence of, customary rule and formal political rule remains a presence even now. This is not only in South Africa but many other former colonies too, as Mamdani (1996) has powerfully argued.

Useful references

Beinart, W. and Delius, P., 2014. The historical context and legacy of the Natives Land Act of 1913.  Journal of Southern African Studies ,  40 (4), pp.667-688.

Feinberg, H.M., 1993. The 1913 Natives Land Act in South Africa: Politics, race, and segregation in the early 20th century.  International Journal of African Historical Studies ,  26 (1), pp.65-109.

Hall, R., 2014. The legacies of the Natives Land Act of 1913.  Scriptura: International Journal of Bible, Religion and Theology in Southern Africa ,  113 (1), pp.1-13.

Keegan, TJ, 1987. Rural Transformations in Industrializing South Africa: The Southern Highveld to 1914 (Basingstoke, Macmillan,),

Mamdani, M 1996.  Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of late Colonialism . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996

Moguerane, K., 2016. Black landlords, their tenants, and the Natives Land Act of 1913.  Journal of Southern African Studies ,  42 (2), pp.243-266.

Morrell, R., 1989. African land purchase and the 1913 Natives Land Act in the eastern Transvaal.  South African Historical Journal ,  21 (1), pp.1-18.

Plaatje, ST 1916. Native Life in South Africa: Before and Since the European War and the Boer Rebellion London: P.S. King and Son; and Johannesburg, Ravan Press, 1982.

Walker, C., 2013. Commemorating or celebrating? Reflections on the centenary of the Natives Land Act of 1913.  Social Dynamics ,  39 (2), pp.282-289.

Wickins, P.L., 1981. The Natives Land Act of 1913: A cautionary essay on simple explanations of complex change.  South African Journal of Economics ,  49 (2), pp.65-89.

Willan, B. 2018. Sol Plaatje: A life of Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje 1876-1932 Jacana Media

Wilson F, 1971. ‘Farming, 1866–1966’ in L. Thompson and M. Wilson (eds), The Oxford History of South Africa Vol. 2 Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp.104–71.

Last updated: 11 January 2020

• Recent Photos
• The Commons
• Flickr Galleries
• Camera Finder
• Flickr Blog
• The Print Shop
• Prints & Wall Art
• Photo Books
• Stats Dashboard
• Get Auto-Uploadr

Natives' Land Act of 1913 exhibition, 20 Jun 2013

by GovernmentZA

The Natives Land Act, 1913: its antecedents, passage and reception

Original bundle

License bundle

Collections

DSpace software copyright © 2002-2024 LYRASIS

The Social and Economic Impact and Changes Brought about by the Natives Land Act of 1913

Let’s critically discuss the social and economic impact and changes brought about by the natives land act of 1913. This content is ideal for “ The native land act 1913 essay grade 10 .”

The Natives Land Act of 1913: Unraveling its Social and Economic Impact and Lasting Changes

The Natives Land Act of 1913 was a significant legislative measure enacted by the South African government that profoundly influenced the social and economic landscape of the country. This law played a pivotal role in shaping the racial segregation policies of the time and had far-reaching consequences for both the indigenous population and the overall development of the nation.

Quick Highlights:

• The Natives Land Act of 1913 implemented racial segregation in land ownership in South Africa .
• It restricted land ownership to specific areas for each racial group, with the majority of fertile land reserved for white ownership.
• The act led to forced removals and the creation of racially segregated areas known as Bantustans.
• Socially, it disrupted traditional social structures and deepened racial tensions , laying the foundation for apartheid.
• Economically, it perpetuated disparities in land ownership and access to resources , trapping black South Africans in poverty and economic dependency.
• The act’s legacy continued even after apartheid ended , with ongoing challenges in achieving meaningful land reform.
• Long-term consequences include loss of cultural identity , environmental degradation, and food insecurity.
• Efforts to address the impact of the act are crucial for reconciliation , social justice, and sustainable development in South Africa.

Below, we will delve into the social and economic impact of the Natives Land Act of 1913, exploring the changes it brought about and its enduring legacy:

Segregation and Social Implications

The Natives Land Act of 1913 mandated the separation of land ownership based on race . It restricted the ownership of land in South Africa to specific areas designated for each racial group, with the majority of arable land being reserved for white ownership. The act further enforced the removal of black South Africans from their ancestral lands, leading to forced relocations and the creation of racially segregated areas known as Bantustans.

The act’s social implications were profound, as it solidified the system of racial segregation known as apartheid, which became official government policy in 1948. The forced removals disrupted traditional social structures and communal ties, uprooting families and communities from their lands. It fueled social tensions and deepened racial divides, laying the groundwork for decades of inequality and racial oppression.

Economic Disparities and Injustices

The Natives Land Act also had a significant economic impact, perpetuating disparities in land ownership and access to resources. By reserving the majority of fertile land for white ownership, it deprived black South Africans of economic opportunities, trapping them in a cycle of poverty and landlessness.

The act further entrenched the exploitation of black labor by white landowners, who often controlled the means of production and paid meager wages. This economic imbalance, combined with the denial of land ownership and limited access to education and skills training, perpetuated a system of economic dependency and inequality that lasted for decades.

Long-Term Consequences and Legacy

The Natives Land Act of 1913 had far-reaching consequences that extended well beyond its immediate implementation. Its legacy continued to shape South Africa’s social and economic landscape for many years, even after apartheid formally ended in the 1990s.

The forced removals and dispossession of land resulted in a loss of cultural identity and connection to ancestral lands for many black South Africans. It contributed to the erosion of indigenous knowledge systems and disrupted sustainable agricultural practices, leading to environmental degradation and food insecurity in some areas.

Although the act was repealed in 1991, its impact on land ownership and economic inequality persists. Land restitution and redistribution programs have been implemented to address historical injustices, but progress has been slow, and challenges remain in achieving meaningful land reform.

The Natives Land Act of 1913 was a pivotal moment in South Africa’s history, leaving an indelible mark on its social and economic fabric. The act entrenched racial segregation and inequality, displacing and disenfranchising black South Africans from their ancestral lands. Its enduring legacy has had far-reaching consequences that still reverberate today.

Recognizing and addressing the lasting impact of the act is crucial for South Africa’s journey towards reconciliation, social justice, and sustainable development. Efforts to rectify the injustices and promote inclusive land reform are essential for fostering a more equitable society that honors the rights and aspirations of all its citizens.

The natives land act of 1913 created permanent damage to every native South African until this age. The aim of this act was to entirely restrict black people from buying or occupying land except as employees of their white masters. This led to white people getting away with the ownership of 87 percent of South African land. This resulted in black people scrambling for what was left, which is still the case even today.

Video of the natives land act of 1913.

Looking for something specific?

Leave a comment.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You May Also Like

History grade 12 2023 june structured past question papers to enhance academic performance.

Civil Rights Movement 1950 to 1970 essay: Black Power Movement History Grade 12

Which sea did traders from Timbuktu cross to reach Europe

Geskiedenis (History) CAPS Document – Lesson Plans for FET Phase Grade 10 – 12

1913 Natives Land Act Centenary

During June 2013, government marks the centenary of the promulgation of the 1913 Natives Land Act [PDF] that saw thousands of black families forcibly removed from their land by the apartheid government. The centenary provides the country with the opportunity to reflect on the negative effects that this legislation had, and continues to have on our people.

The Act became law on 19 June 1913 limiting African land ownership to 7 percent and later 13 percent through the 1936 Native Trust and Land Act of South Africa.

The Act restricted black people from buying or occupying land except as employees of a white master. It opened the door for white ownership of 87 percent of land, leaving black people to scramble for what was left.

Once the law was passed, the apartheid government began the mass relocation of black people to poor homelands and to poorly planned and serviced townships.

No longer able to provide for themselves and their families, people were forced to look for work far away from their homes. This marked the beginning of socio-economic challenges the country is facing today such as landlessness, poverty and inequality.

The Land Act was finally repealed when The Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act , 1991 (Act No. 108 of 1991) came into force on 30 June 1991.

Government blogs:

• Khoi and San people to work with government in restoring their land rights , 23 April 2013
• Restoration of our people’s dignity , 9 April 2013
• Land reform tops the state agenda , 14 November 2012

SA Government News Agency stories:

• Natives Land Act: negotiating a new landscape 100 years later , 31 May 2013
• Modise calls for urgent intervention to avert evictions , 31 May 2013
• Land Restitution Programme bears fruit , 7 June 2013
• Native Land Act must benefit Khoi, San communities , 20 June 2013

More information:

• Government speeches and statements
• 1913 Natives' Land Act Centenary - Department of Rural Development and Land Reform
• Photo gallery

Share this page

Similar categories to explore.

• Latest Resources
• Quick Links

The Native Land Act Essay – Grade 10

Writing an essay about the Native Land Act of 1913 , especially for a grade 10 level, requires an approach that balances a rich amount of factual information with clarity and accessibility.

The The Native Land Act aimed to allocate only about 7% of arable land to the black majority , confining them to reserves and restricting their rights to purchase, lease, or occupy land outside these areas.

Here’s how you might structure and populate such an essay, ensuring it’s engaging and informative.

Title: The Native Land Act of 1913: A Historical Overview

Introduction:

In 1913, South Africa enacted a piece of legislation that would have profound and lasting impacts on its society and landscape. The Native Land Act, formally known as Act No. 27 of 1913, was designed to regulate the acquisition of land and cement the segregation between the races. It laid the foundations for apartheid, a policy that would deeply scar the nation for decades. This essay explores the Act’s origins, its implementation, and its consequences for South Africa.

Historical Context:

Before the Native Land Act, South Africa was a complex tapestry of indigenous kingdoms, European settlers, and a rapidly industrializing economy. The discovery of diamonds and gold in the late 19th century had increased tensions between these groups, with land at the center of their disputes. The British victory in the Second Boer War (1899-1902) and the subsequent formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910 set the stage for the Act.

The Act’s Provisions:

The Native Land Act was straightforward yet devastating in its simplicity. It restricted black South Africans from buying or renting land except in designated “native reserves,” which constituted about 7% of the country’s land. Furthermore, it prohibited the sale of reserved land to non-natives, essentially locking black people into specific areas and away from the growing economic opportunities in mining and agriculture.

Implementation and Effects:

The immediate effect of the Act was the uprooting of black communities. Families who had lived on their land for generations were forced to move to the reserves or become laborers on white-owned farms. Over time, the Act led to overcrowding in the reserves, soil erosion, and poverty. Economically, it entrenched a system where the wealth of the land was overwhelmingly in white hands, creating deep inequalities.

Resistance and Legacy:

Resistance to the Native Land Act came from many quarters, including black political organizations like the African National Congress (ANC), founded in 1912, and international critics. Despite this, the Act remained in force for decades, its principles expanding under the formal apartheid system established in 1948. The legacy of the Native Land Act is still felt today, as land ownership remains a contentious and unresolved issue in South African society.

Conclusion:

The Native Land Act of 1913 was more than just a piece of legislation; it was a tool of oppression that shaped the socio-economic landscape of South Africa for generations. Its ramifications went beyond land ownership, affecting social relations, economic opportunities, and the very fabric of South African life. Understanding the Native Land Act is crucial for grappling with the country’s complex history of racial segregation and the ongoing struggle for equality and justice.

FACTS for Grade 10 Students on The Native Land Act Essay

Breaking down the complexities of the Native Land Act into digestible facts can help paint a clearer picture of its impact and legacy. Here are 15 facts that highlight its key aspects:

• Enactment Date : The Native Land Act was passed on June 19, 1913, in South Africa.
• Primary Goal : The Act aimed to allocate only about 7% of arable land to the black majority, confining them to reserves and restricting their rights to purchase, lease, or occupy land outside these areas.
• Segregation Policy : It was a cornerstone in establishing legal segregation and would later pave the way for the apartheid system.
• Land Allocation : By 1936, the land allocated to black South Africans was increased to 13% due to amendments , still vastly insufficient for the population.
• Population Affected : At the time of its enactment, the Act affected millions of black South Africans, forcing many off their ancestral lands.
• Economic Impact : It ensured the black population remained a cheap labor force for white-owned farms and mines.
• Resistance Movements : The Act sparked immediate resistance and protests, notably contributing to the formation and actions of the African National Congress (ANC) .
• Prohibition of Sharecropping : The Act also ended the practice of sharecropping, further limiting economic opportunities for black South Africans.
• Geographical Division : It formalized the geographic segregation of races and laid the groundwork for the later development of “homelands” or Bantustans under apartheid.
• Women’s Impact : African women were disproportionately affected, as the Act stripped them of land rights, deepening their economic and social vulnerability.
• Forced Removals : The implementation led to widespread forced removals of black people from productive land to poor, overcrowded reserves.
• Legal Framework for Apartheid : It provided a legal framework for the segregationist policies of apartheid, officially instituted in 1948.
• International Criticism : The Act and its effects garnered international condemnation , although significant international pressure to change the policies only mounted in the latter half of the 20th century.
• Repeal and Legacy : Although repealed in 1991, just before the end of apartheid, the legacy of the Native Land Act continues to influence South Africa’s land reform challenges and racial disparities.
• Ongoing Land Reform Issues : Today, land ownership and redistribution remain contentious issues in South Africa, with efforts to address the historical injustices inflicted by the Native Land Act and subsequent apartheid-era land policies.

Each of these facts highlights a different facet of the Native Land Act’s impact, offering a glimpse into the profound and long-lasting effects it had on South African society.

This outline provides a blend of factual depth and analysis, aiming to give a comprehensive understanding of the Native Land Act’s significance within South Africa’s history. Tailoring the language and examples to a grade 10 level can help make the essay both informative and accessible.

Looking for something specific?

Related posts, information technology grade 10 september past exam papers.

Hello learners On this page, we have listed all Information Technology Grade 10 past exam papers for September Term 3: Information Technology Grade 10...

Maths Literacy Grade 10 September Past Exam Papers

Hello learners On this page, we have listed all Maths Literacy Grade 10 past exam papers for September Term 3: Maths Literacy Grade 10...

English Grade 10 September Past Exam Papers

Hello learners On this page, we have listed all English Grade 1o past exam papers for September Term 3: English Grade 10 September Past...

Economics Grade 10 September Past Exam Papers

Hello learners Well, if you’re diving into Economics Grade 10 September Past Exam Papers, you’re already on the right track. This is like your...

Geography Grade 10 September Past Exam Papers

Hello learners Well, getting your hands on Geography Grade 10 September Past Exam Papers is like striking gold when it comes to preparing for...

Maths Grade 10 September Past Exam Papers

Hello learners On this page, we have listed all Maths Grade 10 past exam papers for September Term 3: Maths Grade 10 September Past...

Previous Story

The impact of climate change on the economy of South Africa Mozambique

Grade 12 geography exam papers and memos pdf download.

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

The legacies of the Natives Land Act of 1913

2014, Scriptura

Related Papers

Leepo Modise

The legacy of socio-economic injustice which was inherited from the Natives Land Act of 1913 continues to haunt the majority of black South Africans. The land dispossession of the indigenous people of South Africa under this Act caused poverty which is still prevalent in our country today. Many South Africans, especially black South Africans, are trapped in a cycle of poverty that emerged as a result of our history of colonialism and apartheid. The interrogation of the unsettling discourse on land in South Africa as well as the continuous poverty cycle is fundamental for offering empowering possibilities for the poor. As such, the role played by the South African churches to support and/or oppose the Natives Land Act of 1913 cannot be ignored. The main question engaged with in the present text is: if the issue of poverty, as foregrounded in the discourse of land and within the ecclesial discussion, is engaged with from a historicoecclesiastical 2 perspective, could the discourse pro...

Ndikho Mtshiselwa

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

Mokone Lephoto

SABELO NKOSI

Tshepo Lephakga

This article is an attempt to examine the role and impact of the history of theologised politics in South Africa and the 1913 Land Act and its impact on the flight from the black self. This is done specifically to locate the question of land and land dispossession of black South Africans that, according to the author of this article, resulted from the theologised politics of South Africa. It is the contention of the author that land dispossession, which was officialised in South Africa with the passing of the 1913 Land Act, was chiefly responsible for the “flight from the black self”. This is crucial, simply because the author is of the view that land dispossession had a terrible impact on black people’s self-worth. It is for this reason that the author argues that black people in the main have internalised oppression. On the basis of this, the author surmises that Apartheid, which was rationalised as being biblically and theologically sanctioned, precipitated the 1913 Land Act and in turn the flight from the black self. It is in this context of the flight from the black self that we must understand the assertion that there are many South Africans within one South Africa.

Kelebogile Thomas Resane

This paper examines the current situation of land possession in the South African socio-political space. Land possession in South Africa is an emotive issue that receives different political responses based on historical constitutional land laws and declarations, such as the Freedom Charter of 1954. African views on land are elaborated, together with South African current political debates regarding land. Negative politics of the land leave the dispossessed humiliated, experiencing feelings of indignity and insentience. Being robbed of the land is humiliating, but the dialogue about regaining it should occur in the spirit of eschatological hope with one goal in mind: inheriting the land. The paper further elaborates a theology of the land and extensively explains its historical and biblical evolvement from the Abrahamic era to the period of exile. In the midst of tensions between colonial views of land and cultural clashes, eschatological hope is the route to take. Citizens are to be granted the rights and promises that lead to eschatological peace, which creates coexistence where life is fully experienced. Eschatological hope should not be read as opium with a calming effect or a soothing balm for people to endure injustice. It should be a message of hope for the restoration of quality of untrammelled joy on the fruitfulness of the land. All this is achievable through dialogue by and with all stakeholders regarding land issues. The contribution made by this article is the acknowledgement of the imbalances regarding the land issue, and it attempts to bring forth a theological understanding of land and how to apply it in the current South Africa.

Acta Theologica

Hulisani Ramantswana

The issue of “land” in South Africa remains a political and emotive one as the country reaches the centenary of the Native Land Act of 1913. The latter Act was aimed at limiting blacks their rights to land. Even today, the majority of black South Africans are still awaiting the fulfilment of the promise for the Promised Land. The promise remains unfulfilled on two fronts: First, the government’s land reform programme has failed to deliver on the promise to return the land, even as wealth basically remains in the hands of the minority, the historical winners. Second, the wealth from the mining and agricultural sectors lies in the low costs of production through cheap labour of basically indigenous peoples. In the global world economy, South Africa is one of the biggest exporter of mineral resources and agricultural products. However, as the sage has rightly expressed it, “The field of the poor may yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice” (Prov 13:23, NRSV). In this article, we use the Tshivenda proverb, lupfumo lu mavuni, literally rendered—“wealth is in the land,” as a hermeneutical lens to examine the Old Testament concept of “Promised Land,” within selected texts, in particular, within the context of Moses’ call (Exod 3-4). If the biblical theme of “Promised Land” is reread through the eyes of the indigenous peoples of South Africa, people who continue to await the “Promise of land”, what kind of reading might emerge?

Rev Dumisani Methula

Loading Preview

Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.

RELATED PAPERS

Alternation

Olehile Buffel

Aninka Claassens

ZOLANI NKOMO

Settler Colonial Studies

Camilla Boisen

Kyle Tolman

African Studies

Caroline Jeannerat

Jer McLachlan

Hennie [ H P P ] Lötter

Journal of Peasant Studies

Deborah James

Nick Branson

Loren B. Landau

Fred Morton

Piet Strydom

Social Dynamics

Federico Settler

Cilliers, J. & Nell, I. A., 2011. 'Within the enclave' : profiling South African social and religious developments since 1994. Verbum et Ecclesia, 32(1), doi:10.4102/ve.v32i1.552.

Prof. Ian Nell

Erwin Schweitzer

Journal of Southern African Studies

Olaf Zenker

ignatius Swart

Studies in World Christianity

Graham Philpott

Willy Mafuta

Fortune Sibanda

African Affairs

Loren Landau

Wessel Wessels

Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies

Mutale Kaunda

Lindsey Maxwell

RELATED TOPICS

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024