Custom Contested

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Re-opening restitution: Election promises doomed to backfire

Parliament is currently holding provincial public hearings on the Restitution of Land Rights Amendment Bill. The Bill, which re-opens the window to allow people to put in restitution claims until 2018, was tabled in October. See a response to comments on this post here. The Western Cape hearing in George was emblematic of the government’s …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.customcontested.co.za/re-opening-restitution-election-promises-doomed-backfire/

Third round of hearings on the TCB fails to change minds

MEDIA RELEASE by the Alliance for Rural Democracy November 22, 2013 The public hearings convened by the Portfolio Committee on Local Government and Traditional Affairs of the North West Legislature on Thursday 21 October 2013 resulted in another resounding rejection of the Traditional Courts Bill (TCB). The committee conducted hearings simultaneously in Zeerust, Wolmaransstad, Moretele …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.customcontested.co.za/third-round-hearings-tcb-fails-change-minds/

NCOP again ignores rural voices on Traditional Courts Bill: A case of “we’ll consult until we change your minds”?

MEDIA RELEASE by the Alliance for Rural Democracy November 21, 2013 Provincial negotiating mandates tabled to the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on October 15, 2013 showed overwhelming rejection of the Traditional Courts Bill (TCB) by the provinces. However, instead of following parliamentary procedure and debating …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.customcontested.co.za/ncop-ignores-rural-voices-traditional-courts-bill-case-well-consult-change-minds/

Advocacy for women’s land rights: Plotting the way forward

The story of Dudu Xaba from KwaZulu Natal shows vividly how land rights and livelihoods are intertwined. Xaba’s late father left her a farm in his will but her half-brother claimed it, arguing only a male heir could inherit the plot. The brother and the local chief threatened her with violence if she persisted with …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.customcontested.co.za/advocacy-womens-land-rights-plotting-way-forward/

“The state does not consult rural people about laws that affect them”

The centenary year of the 1913 Natives Land Act is drawing to a close and we are looking ahead to marking two decades of democratic governance in 2014. Many questions arise as to the extent to which the democratisation that seemed imminent in 1994 has been achieved, especially in rural areas in the former homelands. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.customcontested.co.za/state-consult-rural-people-laws-affect/

Custom Contested