Land reform policies and human rights : a South African case study

This treatise begins with a discussion of different clauses of the Bill of Rights in the South African Constitution and the land reform policies of the South African government. The inequality and injustice caused by decades of apartheid land law forms the background of the land reform programme. The treatise addresses the consequences of this legacy on the implementation of the South African Constitution including the right to property. The discussion includes the three key elements of the land reform programme namely restitution, redistribution and tenure reform. The content of this treatise ranges over these three elements of land reform, applying constitutional issues to the relevant case law, The balancing and the reconciliation of rights and interest between the individual and the public in a just manner will be the barometer. The conclusion shows that the Constitution both protects existing rights and authorises the promotion of land reform within the framework of Section 25 of the Constitution, and that every aspect of the property clause has to be regarded as part of a constitional effort in balancing individual interest and public interest in terms of a constitutional order. It is my sincere hope that this treatise will contribute toward the achievement of equity, stability and by the values of an open and democratic society based on human dignity, freedom and human right