Page 59 - Litigating Land and Housing in South Africa: Lessons and Reflections

6 1 3 Working with clients The The immediate Prudhoe Prudhoe Community is is now comprised of of approximately 300 households located on on roughly 10 hectares of of of land land The The The broader community includes people who no no longer reside at at at at at Prudhoe Prudhoe Prudhoe full time but have moved to to to towns and and and and and cities to to to find work The The The land land claim was was driven by the the “Prudhoe Land Committee” that was was comprised of of of eight men men and and and and and four women the the the majority of of of whom lived fin in in in Prudhoe Prudhoe with three members residing fin in in in Port Elizabeth The The committee was led led by the the the the the strong-willed and and and efficient Mr Mr Gladman Tom Tom – a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a 63-year-old who who who had had had grown up on on on on one of of the the the the the 26 farms and and whose father had had had been a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a headman Mr Mr Tom Tom had had had already left to to to work on on on on the the the the the mines in in Johannesburg when his his family family was forcibly removed to to to to Prudhoe but he he he he he he he he he he has vivid memories of the the the the the the trauma it it it caused to to to to his his whole family family and the the upheaval it it brought to to the the community The composition of the the Prudhoe Land Claim com- mittee changed several times over the the the 10 years we represented them but Mr Mr Tom was a a a a a a a a a a constant member and and and provided important stability and and and continuity Mr Mr Tom and and and and his committee approached the the the LRC in in March 2010 when they heard that the the the the the Land Claims Court had awarded the the the the Fish River Sun Hotel to the the the the Mazizini They were upset agitated and and desperate for help Despite this and and like we we are with so many potential clients due
to limited capacity and resources we we were cautious about agreeing to assist them We were also reluctant to to to try to to to set aside an an award of valuable land to to to a a a a a a a a a large black community (the Mazizini) simply because there was a a disgruntled committee in our office But the Prudhoe Committee was organised had mountains of documents supporting them including research reports commissioned by the the RLCC themselves that reinforced
Figure 14: Prudhoe Community members in in front of of the the LRC LRC LRC LRC office in in Makhanda From left to to to right – Cecile van Schalkwyk (LRC (LRC (LRC attorney) attorney) Zenzele Ngcolomba Gladman Tom Mr Gadla Cameron McConnachie (LRC (LRC (LRC attorney) attorney) Mieta Dyantyi and and Ethel Libi (LRC (LRC (LRC secretary) (Photo by Sue Maclennan)
LITIGATING LAND AND AND AND HOUSING IN IN IN SOUTH AFRICA  LESSONS AND AND AND REFLECTIONS
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