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Laws of the land – Laws governing land dispossession of blacks

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Historically, legislation has played a pivotal role in dispossessing blacks of their land in South Africa, with the 1913 Native Land Act widely credited as being the turning point in this injustice.

Though other laws had been in place regarding land prior to the 1913 Land Act, the Natives Land Act was a premise for grand scale dispossession going forward.

From the Union of South Africa to the formalisation of Apartheid in 1948, at least eight laws were devised and passed governing land in the country during that period.

In the period between 1913 and 1936, three important laws were passed concerning the land issue including the Natives Land ActNative Urban Areas Act  and the Native Trust Land Act.

Last week, Parliament embarked on a six week long public hearing roadshow on a possible amendment on section 25 of the South African constitution.

The aim is to engage members of the public on whether amendments are necessary to section 25 of the constitution, which deals with compensation for land expropriated in the public interest.

In this three part series, we look at some of the laws that were enacted from 1913 to 1996.

This is part one, of three.

For more on this, watch video below:

Below is an infographic representing land ownership in South Africa:

 

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