The evaluation framework for land restitution programme in the Northern Cape Province

Abstract

Since the proclamation of the Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994, limited progress has been made in realising its main goals, specifically the aim: “To restore land and other restitution measures to people dispossessed by racially discriminatory legislation and price, in such a way as the provide support to the vital process of reconciliation, reconstruction and development.” The present study identified that the South Africa’s Land Restitution Programme lacks an appropriate evaluation framework. The absence of such a framework has led to government being unable to ensure that the implementation of the Land Restitution Programme takes into consideration competing interests, the number of claims registered and yet to be registered, the window period for lodging claims, the institutions required to carry out restitution, and the procedure to be followed, as well as the capacity of the government to carry out its reform mandate. The above was established using the Northern Cape as a case study. The literature review gives an overview of literature relating to the topic of the study, which was used to create the structure of the study. The challenge was to appreciate the complexity of evaluating a programme such as the Land Restitution. The method of analysis was a grounded theory approach within the social constructivist paradigm, which is most suited where there is an absence of theory underpinning a research area. The data collection methods included, among others, focus group discussions and in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The research revealed that the Land Restitution Programme requires evaluation, which would entail the participation of several role-players working in concerted efforts to achieve enhanced levels of access and delivery of the objectives of the legislation speaking to restitution. The critical roles of government staff and stakeholders or communities affected by the programme are outlined. The proposed Evaluation Framework for the Land Restitution Programme may be useful in addressing the impediments to the successful implementation of the Programme. The Evaluation Framework for Land Restitution Programme was formulated as a direct output from the data collected and analysed during the course of this study.