The leaflet says the South African government's land ownership "reforms" threaten to entrench one of the unjust seizure of the country's most productive land for white ownership. Under the system of "grand apartheid," millions of Africans, "Coloureds" and Asians were forcibly removed from their homes, and South Africa's entire African population was to be confined to ten bantustans or so-called "homelands" located on the most barren land. These forced removals violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The leaflet says under the government's new land "reforms," no provision is made to restore land to the victims of forced removals or to redistribute agricultural land, and joint or...
The leaflet says the South African government's land ownership "reforms" threaten to entrench one of the unjust seizure of the country's most productive land for white ownership. Under the system of "grand apartheid," millions of Africans, "Coloureds" and Asians were forcibly removed from their homes, and South Africa's entire African population was to be confined to ten bantustans or so-called "homelands" located on the most barren land. These forced removals violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The leaflet says under the government's new land "reforms," no provision is made to restore land to the victims of forced removals or to redistribute agricultural land, and joint or communal ownership of land, which is traditional in African society, is forbidden. Black South Africans are required to purchase land on the free market, which they are too poor to do. The reforms are intended to keep land in the hands of the white commercial farmers and other white landowners. The African National Congress (ANC) has called for redistribution of land and proposed mediation by a Land Court which would take into account both legal claims and historical residency. The leaflet says the CODESA negotiations between anti-apartheid forces and the government are due to resume in late April, and land rights will be one of the topics. The leaflet asks people to write or fax South African President F.W. de Klerk and Minister of Regional Land Affairs Jacob de Villiers.
