South Africans‚ who were disposed of their land as a result of the 1913 Native Land Act‚ have until June 2019 to claim for redress‚ the department of rural development and land reform reminded potential claimants on Sunday.

Sunday June 19 marked 103 years since the enactment of the Act‚ the implementation of which “instigated a long and devastating history of forced removals and evictions of Africans from their ancestral lands”‚ the department said.

 While the 1913 Native Land Act was repealed‚ its legacy‚ according to the department‚ remains visible in the “skewed land ownership patterns that still exist in South Africa”.

“Since the advent of democracy 22 years ago‚ efforts have been made to reverse the legacy of the 1913 Natives Land Active and other racially motivated policies and practices.

“This Act is also the foundation of the triple challenge of poverty‚ unemployment and the inequality in our country. South Africans who were disposed of their land following the 1913 act have been given a second opportunity to claim for redress until June 2019.

“Land Restitution‚ which is one of the key elements of the Land Reform Programme of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform‚ is critical to achieving the vision of an integrated inclusive rural economy as set out in Chapter 6 of the National Development Plan.

 “Government remains committed to reversing the legacy of the Natives Land Act through the Constitution and the law‚” the department said.

According to the department‚ a total of R16 billion has been spent on the restitution programme thus far in settling claims‚ while R10 billion has been spent to acquire land‚ and R6 billion has been used towards the settlement of financial compensation claims.