Land reform minister defends new race classification requirements for land transfers as part of dept's land audit

CAPE TOWN - Land Reform Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso has defended new race classification requirements in the transfer of land as part of his department’s land audit.

He told Wednesday’s economic cluster ministerial question session that government had to know who owned the land in the country and was not targeting any particular race.

Nyhontso was responding to a question from the Democratic Alliance (DA), which wants him to amend the new regulation that requires people who receive land to disclose their race and gender.

The DA’s Mlindi Nhanha asked Minister Nyhontso what the legal and constitutional basis was for making the disclosure of race and gender mandatory in the new requirements for the transfer of property.

The DA also wrote to Nyhontso demanding that he withdraw the new race rules in the deeds offices across South Africa, calling on him to halt their enforcement.

But Nyhontso said that the requirement was necessary.

"This regulation is not going to be used against other races. This regulation is going to be used to understand the land and to understand who owns the land, so we are able to audit the land in this country."

Nyhontso also told the House that R26 billion was paid to former land owners and R27 billion was paid for financial compensation to claimants.