Residents and claimants within the District Six restitution process have expressed dismay that several beneficiaries have opted to rent out their allocated properties to ‘foreigners’. This comes amidst complaints that the process of reintegrating historically displaced families back into the areas has hit a snag, with houses not going up as has been promised.

With prime property being let out for as much as R7, 500 a month, former residents have called on government to take action against the practice, at least until restorative justice has been achieved for those still waiting to return to the area.

Whilst the Land Claims Commission has insisted that homeowners are entitled to rent out the property if they so wish, D6 Community Forum Chairperson, Asa Salie said both foreign nationals and those with no historic roots in District Six need not be afforded land ahead of those still awaiting restitution.

“It was premature to make their ruling (allowing residents to rent out), unless they had all the houses ready and everybody had an allocation…When people who genuinely want to come back and actually try and build the community we had and were born into (are allocated housing), then people can do whatever they want,” she said.

She likened the situated to the ‘gentrification’ seen in Bo-Kaap, once a haven for the local coloured community but now being priced out to those native of the land. Salie suggested the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform’s decision to allow for renting out of property was effectively creating a similar scenario in District Six.

“People were renting out and selling their houses, and even those people couldn’t continue (to afford) living there…what happened in Bo-Kaap, the same can happen here in District Six, and it is,” she said.

Land commissioner for the department, Ben Mars said that whilst the commission would ideally see the beneficiaries of the dwellings actually occupy what was allocated to them, there was no prohibition on returnees to prevent them letting out property in a lawful manner. However there were some restrictions in this regard, most notable that land owners in District Six would not be allowed to sell their property within a 10 year period.

“We want people to return to District Six, that was the intention of restitution; to grant them restoration of rights and land. But we cannot dictate to these returnees how they should deal with the properties,” he explained.

Mars did however admit that there may have been some imperfections within the process, particularly during the early phases.

“Maybe the criteria were not so perfect, as it has come to our attention that there are those in desperate need of a house. Maybe this should be a consideration in the future. But for the past allocations it still stands, and we have lawfully allocated these dwellings to the beneficiaries,” he noted, reiterating that the department would ideally see recipients actually occupy the land. VOC (Mubeen Banderker)