Land dispossession still impacts access to basic services: SAHRC

The Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) says land dispossession continues to impact on citizens’ ability to access basic services .

Commissioner Philile Ntuli says land dispossession occurs in various ways including displacement due to environmental issues and informal settlements.

Her comments follow the release of a SAHRC report, which followed its Constitutional Dialogue on Land, Human Rights and Spatial Justice.

The report’s findings focused on obstacles affecting equitable land redistribution.

“Land is not simply an economic asset.

It’s connected to our dignity, identity, livelihood, culture, ancestry, and most importantly, our sense of belonging.

And that became particularly clear in the discussions about communities affected by mining, for example, and the location of ancestral graves.

And thirdly, and lastly, it is that dispossession can take contemporary forms.

It can occur through displacement, insecure tenure, environmental degradation, particularly in urban informal settlements, exclusion from decision making, and development processes that do not meaningfully involve affected communities.

So, those are the main three areas that emerged as the key issues and findings from this dialogue,” says Ntuli.

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