Land Rights & Legal Challenges
"Our Land, Our Legacy, Our Fight for Justice"
Land is not just soil, it is identity, heritage, and sovereignty. For centuries, traditional leaders have been the rightful custodians of land, ensuring stability, agriculture, and community governance. Yet, since colonial rule, apartheid, and post-1994 land policies, traditional leadership has been systematically stripped of its authority over ancestral land.
RACC is funding ROLESA to reclaim what belongs to traditional communities.
Overview of Land Dispossession in South Africa
From African Sovereignty to Colonial Theft
Before colonial rule, traditional leaders governed land based on ancestral customs, land was communal, passed through generations, and ruled by the kings and councils of each territory.
The 1913 & 1936 Land Acts
Stripped African communities of land ownership, confining them to only 7% of the land in South Africa.
Apartheid’s Homeland System
Forced millions into the Bantustans, stripping kings of their true governing power.
Post-1994 Land Reform Failures
The South African government has failed to return land to traditional custodians, choosing instead to control land through the State’s Land Reform Program, which often bypasses kings
and councils.
Today, traditional leaders still do not have full legal recognition over the land they have governed for centuries.
RACC is helping traditional leaders to be the rightful custodians of traditional land, NOT the government, NOT corporations.
Current Legal Cases: The Fight for Land Restitution & Recognition
RACC is supports ROLESA with land battles and legal challenges that aim to restore the power of traditional leaders over their territories.
1. Land Restitution Battles
Many traditional communities have been waiting decades for the return of their stolen land.
RACC funds legal teams to:
Push for expedited land restitution to traditional councils.
Stop government delays & political interference in land redistribution.
Ensure that land claims go directly to traditional custodians, not to state agencies.
Major Land Cases:
AmaZulu & Ingonyama Trust Disputes: Securing rightful land control for the Zulu King & Council.
Xhosa Kingdom Land Claims: The right of the AmaXhosa to govern their historic land.
Bapedi & VhaVenda Land Cases: Restoring territories lost due to
colonial-era manipulation.
2. Challenges to Legislation Impacting Traditional Leadership
The government continues to pass laws that weaken traditional leadership over land.
Problematic Laws
Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act (2019): Fails to give
traditional leaders real authority over land & governance.
Communal Land Rights Bill: Puts control of land in the hands of
government departments, not kings and councils.
State Land Lease & Disposal Act : Allows state control over land
distribution, excluding traditional leaders.
RACC is funding legal challenges in court and demanding policy
reforms that put land back under traditional rule.
3. Corporate & Government Land Grabs
Mining Companies: Corporations extract resources from traditional
land without compensating communities.
Agricultural & Industrial Expansion: Big businesses take traditional land for commercial farming while local communities are left without resources.
Government Expropriation: The State controls massive areas of land, refusing to return it to the kings who have governed it for generations.
How RACC Is Involved
Legal challenges against corporate land exploitation.
Pushing for laws that force businesses to respect traditional
custodianship.
Fighting government eWorts to expropriate land without involving
traditional leadership.
Land must be governed by its rightful kings, not the state, not
corporations.
How You Can Take Action!
This is not just a fight for traditional leaders, this is a fight for every person who believes in justice, sovereignty, and heritage.
Sign the Petition for Land Rights
Demand that traditional leaders have full authority over their land!
SIGN THE PETITION
Join a
Public protest
Be part of mass action campaigns to pressure the government for reform.
FIND A PROTEST NEAR YOU
Learn About Our Success Stories
Case victories, legal wins, and policy shifts that RACC has achieved.
READ MORE
The Future of Traditional Land Rights
"A king without land is a king without power."
RACC supports ROLESA with ensuring that traditional land is in the hands of the rightful leaders, our kings and traditional councils.
This is about justice, economic survival, and cultural identity
Stand with us. Protect traditional land. Defend our kings. Fight for justice.
+27 (83) 286 7350
RACC National Office, 468 Berea Street, Muckleneuk, Pretoria
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RACC is the official implementation agency of ROLESA.
Proudly aligned with kingship, community, and cultural governance.