Pretoria: Land Reform and Rural Development Minister, Mzwanele Nyhontso, has called for bold and decisive steps to reverse the legacy of the Native Land Act of 1913. Reflecting on the 112th anniversary of the enactment of the Natives Land Act of 1913 in South Africa, which came into effect on June 19, 1913 (Act No. 27 of 1913), Minister Nyhontso said the legislation left an indelible mark on the country’s history.

According to South African Government News Agency, the Native Land Act had a profound and devastating impact on the lives of Black people. Nyhontso described it as a calculated, cruel instrument and strategy of mass dispossession, which successfully entrenched racial segregation and economic inequality. The Act restricted Black South Africans to only 7% of the land, forcing them into designated ‘native reserves’, while reserving the rest of the country’s land for white ownership.

Crucially, the legislation prohibited Black citizens from owning land outside these areas, stripping millions of their ability to farm and sustain their families. Nyhontso emphasized that this prohibition ‘stripped millions of their ability to sustain themselves, their families, and communities, through farming which was the main economic activity’.

The immediate aftermath of the passing of the Native Land Act was marked by violent and merciless eviction of people from their land. Their cattle and crops were confiscated, and their homes were destroyed. Nyhontso noted that up until that point in history, Africans had led a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. Black people were stripped of their dignity, effectively forcing them into exploitative farm labour contracts. The act laid the foundation for the migrant system that provided a constant supply of cheap labour for the mines and industries.

Nyhontso reaffirmed the department’s commitment to reversing this legacy through the implementation of appropriate legislation, policies and land reform programmes. He stated that the department will intensify its efforts to restore land rights to the historically dispossessed and ensure the equitable redistribution of land.