The impact of monetary compensation as a land restitution redress mechanism in the Vhembe District, South Africa

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the use of financial compensation, within household claimants of two restitution communities in Vhembe District, South Africa. It involved a simple random sampling of 183 claimants from Phaphazela and Ribungwani communities. Collected data were captured into Excel spread sheets and the SPSS version 21 IBM programmes and analysed through descriptive and logistic regression statistical techniques. The major findings were that the majority of claimants of compensated restitution grant were female adults who never went to school. Most of the respondents were the original dispossessed, dissatisfied with their grant because it was insufficient. The majority of claimants utilised the grant for building or renovating their houses and great number of them also shared the money with their siblings. Results from regression analysis revealed that most claimants were dissatisfied with the different projects to which the compensation was applied. The study recommended that future claimants whose initial properties cannot be restored to be provided with alternate land rather than cash as an option or other redress strategies such as establishment of trusts that could focus on the provision of bursaries to their deserving children, continued support from relevant stakeholders and reassessment of funding model.