The limits of land restitution: Livelihoods in three rural communities in South Africa

Abstract

Land restitution is a powerful symbol of redressing the trauma and dispossession many Africans experienced historically. However, everyday material constraints limit the possibilities of how restored land is used, resulting in continued alienation of African rural households from land. This paper focuses on three rural communities in South Africa that are recent beneficiaries of post-1994 land restitution. Social conditions in these communities create a context in which decisions on how restored land should be used, especially the tendency towards commercial farming enterprises, remain unchallenged by ordinary people. © 2011 Copyright Development Bank of Southern Africa.