South Africa’s land restitution programmes date back to the Restitution Act in 1994 and the opening of the land claims process in 1995. The aim was to return a significant proportion of land forcibly taken from individuals and communities after the passage of the 1913 Land Act, and the Commission of Restitution of Land Rights was established to undertake this process. Eligible claimants were given three years from 1 May 1995 to lodge claims, which was later extended to 31 December 1998. By that point, around 60 000 claims had been lodged, some of which were for more than one property.
