It was an emotional day for eight claimants of the Ladies Mile land restitution in Constantia, who may be one step closer to returning home. Addressing land claimants on the historic site on Wednesday, Mayor Patricia De Lille announced that she would be transferring ownership of the land to the Regional Land Claims Commission to speed up the land claims process.These families were evicted off the land after Constantia was declared a white area in 1961 in terms of the Group Areas Act.
This is a second generation claim as some of the original claimants have sadly already passed away. The oldest living beneficiary will be 90 years old this year.
Mayor De Lille brought the representatives of the seven families together with the Regional Land Claims Commission so that the latter could explain the holdups as well as the process going forward. The claim is for a 6-hectare parcel of land worth approximately R120 million.
More on this story in our Breakfast show at 7am. VOC