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Group Areas casualty venerated

The Land Claims Court in Cape Town observed a moment of silence yesterday to honour a victim of the Group Areas Act.

The Land Claims Court in Cape Town observed a moment of silence yesterday to honour a victim of the Group Areas Act.

It marked what would have been the 109th birthday of Magdalene Edith Florence, nicknamed Girly, who died in 1971, only months after being forced out of her Black River, Rondebosch, home.

She was matriarch of the Florence family, who are contesting the Land Claims Commission's offer of R40000 compensation for the loss of the five-bed-roomed dwelling and plot with orchard.

The family is asking for R3,3 million.

The Florences were classified coloured. Black River was declared a whites-only area in 1966.

The court is hearing evidence from a UCT economist, Prof Martin Wittenberg, on how the value of compensation should be calculated. - Sapa

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