What is Land Restitution

This chapter investigates the paradox of land reform programme and its quest to address challenges faced by the rural population in post-apartheid South Africa. Land reform was institutionalized in 1994 with the primary intention to redress the injustices caused by colonial-apartheid land dispossession. Despite the land reform's mandate to restore dignity through land tenure, restitution, and land redistribution, the rural population are among the most underdeveloped, disadvantaged, and deprived of the basic services. Failure to address these fundamental issues holistically has made the land reform programme a mockery to those residing in the rural and peripheral areas. The reality is that the rural population depends on land for their livelihoods, food security, and agriculture, and without productive land, these already vulnerable people are further pushed to abject poverty, unemployment, and underdevelopment. The chapter is based on secondary information obtained from books and book chapters, accredited journals, and government documentation.