19 June 2023 marked 110 years of the Land Act. On 19 June 1913 the Act was enacted limiting African land ownership to 7 percent and later 13 percent through the 1936 Native Trust and Land Act of South Africa.
This marked the beginning of socio-economic challenges the country is facing today such as landlessness, poverty and inequality.

Comfortable and privileged suburbs like Claremont and Constantia (which we covered in the previous show: https://on.soundcloud.com/z6Dyv) are taken for granted and not seen as a spatial legacy of apartheid in the same way that cape flats//townships//migrant labour camps are.

On this episode we uncovered the story of Claremont's forced removals and longing for home.

Claremont - a people’s history and forced removals.

Expropriation has been a topical issue, our previous shows which can be found on the Ndifuna Ukwazi website, the perceived death of land reform and whether there is any hope of real reform. 

Today we will look at the expropriation of land as a tool for achieving land reform. We will uncover some of the limitations of expropriation and explore alternatives to this mechanism.

Why has expropriation not benefited the landless - is there an alternative?

President, Ministers challenged to act on land reform and redistribution.

On the previous episode, our spotlight shone on the People's Land campaign. It's a collective call echoing far and wide, urging the President to place land directly into the hands of the people. 
But the crucial question looms: what unfolds when this visionary act comes to fruition? 
Are we prepared for this transformative step?
On this episode we dissect forms of ownership.

Forms of ownership

On this episode, we dive deep into a pressing issue that has been haunting our society: the disregard for our constitution by government officials and the often-overlooked suffering of the poor and working-class. A few weeks ago, we had a conversation with the Women's Legal Centre regarding COIDA amendments aimed at providing protection for domestic workers. For far too long, the government has turned a blind eye to the exploitation of domestic workers, benefiting from what some call "cheap labour." But what's often hidden beneath the surface is the profound impact this has on the lives of those at the receiving end.

To help us unpack this issue further, let's draw in the story of the Tafelberg site in Sea Point.

The Story of Tafelberg.

Finding money for affordable housing

In this episode, we delve into a topic that affects us all - affordable alternative building technologies that both the government and our community at large should seriously consider. We're acutely aware of the housing crisis, with many people still in pursuit of the dream of home ownership. The city, on its own, simply can't tackle the overwhelming housing backlog, which stands at a staggering 365,000 households waiting for a solution.  

The reality is, constructing social housing doesn't come without its cost. So, are we facing an insurmountable challenge, or could there be innovative building technologies that our community should be exploring? 

Barry and Yanga dissects how building with sandbags could be the answer.

Affordable building technology: sandbags with Ubuhle Bakha Ubuhle

On this episode we discuss a crucial subject that has a significant impact on
all of us: Climate Change. We delve into an examination of what climate change
entails and its repercussions for housing and human settlements.

Ndifuna Ukwazi

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