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Mrs. Maria Mothupi, who is 99 years old, has never experienced living in
her own home or living in a home legally owned by her family. She was two years
old when the 1913 Land Act banned land ownership by black people in South
Africa, and experienced firsthand the devastation this evil legislation caused
for South Africa’ s black population. This photo shows Mrs. Mothupi a few
minutes after she received her title deed, signifying that she finally owns her
house and land after all these years. The satisfaction this brings her is
readily apparent in her smile and the look in her eyes. When asked what the
title deed means to her, she replied, “I can sleep well now.” She elaborated
that she is now able to leave a legacy to her children when she passes away by
legally leaving her home to them in her will — something she had not previously
had the legal right to do.
To help someone like Mrs Mothupi click here: Khaya Lam Donation - R1850 per title deed, no amount too small
The majority of black South Africans do not have titles to property
because the effects of apartheid-era policies continue to have consequences
today. Atlas Network partner the Free Market Foundation (FMF) of Johannesburg
has been named one of six finalists for this year’s prestigious $100,000
Templeton Freedom Award for its Khaya Lam (My House) Land Reform project, which
is bringing about the titling of apartheid-era properties in which black
families had and still have occupation rights but have lacked title deeds.
The Khaya Lam project is a living example of a truth expressed by Sir
John Templeton: “Property rights are essential for human rights.” This project
is unlocking freedoms that have been denied to black South Africans for more
than a century. The Khaya Lam project has already provided resources to carry
out the conversion of some of these properties — out of an estimated 5 to 7
million that are eligible countrywide — to freehold title ownership in the
hands of beneficiaries.
“Those who have been deprived by a racially biased law of the right to
own property in land in their own country for 78 years cannot possibly
understand the effects that such deprivation has,” said FMF Director Eustace
Davie. “Black South Africans have had occupancy rights in state-owned rental
housing in separate apartheid townships built especially to house them in
proximity to ‘white’ towns and cities. The FMF’s Khaya Lam (My House) Land Reform
project was initiated because two decades after the end of apartheid, millions
of black South Africans are still living with the insecurity of title they had
under apartheid.”
Remedying the situation requires more than just educating the intended
beneficiaries about their rights. Distrust, ambiguity, and prohibition costs
have all worked together to prevent a more rapid transfer of otherwise
available titles. Through bulk processing and other cost reduction measures,
the FMF has reduced the cost from about $490 to $150 per title deed.
FMF’s pilot project has focused on the Ngwathe municipal area of the
Free State province, where there are an estimated 20,000 houses for which the
ownership rights have not been documented and registered. The major purpose of
this pilot project was to determine the most rapid and cost-efficient method of
registering the rights of the homeowners and placing them in possession of
title deeds that prove their rights and enable them to trade with their
property legally, in any way they please. In other words, to arrive as close as
possible to the ideal described by Sir John Templeton, in which “the legal
system supports the right to property and [carries] little or no restrictions
on selling, exchanging or dividing property.” More than 800 of the Ngwathe
houses have either already been converted or are in the process of being
converted by the end of October.
“Our task is to make everyone in the country aware of how the country
will change for the better if we can extinguish the effects of one of the
greatest crimes of apartheid: depriving black South Africans of property rights
for 78 years,” Davie said. “Calls for information are coming in from all over
the country. The process has now been proven. Our challenge is to get as many
people as possible involved to get the job done countrywide as rapidly as
possible.”
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The Free Market Foundation
believes that the positive outcomes will influence the government to extend the
policy to South Africa’s seven million government-owned rental houses across
the country.
Help us give a family legal ownership of their home click here: Khaya Lam Donation - R1850 per title deed, no amount too small
Large-scale success with Khaya Lam would provide a counteracting force
to the slide toward socialism that is currently occurring in South Africa. With
increasing numbers of low-income people owning their own homes, their perspectives
about the value of property rights would change dramatically.
“We’re delighted to announce the Free Market Foundation as a finalist
for the Templeton Freedom Award,” said Atlas Network CEO Brad Lips. “Many
believe the struggle against injustice ended with apartheid two decades ago. To
its enormous credit, the FMF has not let up. Its Khaya Lam project is having a
tangible effect on individuals’ lives and is laying the groundwork for a freer
society.”
Awarded since 2004, the Templeton Freedom Award is named for the late
investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton. The award annually honours his
legacy by identifying and recognizing the most exceptional and innovative
contributions to the understanding of free enterprise, and the public policies
that encourage prosperity, innovation, and human fulfilment via free
competition. The award is generously supported by Templeton Religion Trust and
will be presented during Atlas Network’s Liberty Forum and Freedom Dinner. The
winning organization will receive a $100,000 prize and the runners-up will
receive $5,000.
First published on 31 August 2015 by the Atlas Network
Videos
Dr Christo Wiese explains why the Khaya Lam project has a "lot of heart"
To contribute to the Khaya Lam Project click here: Khaya Lam Donation - R1850 per title deed, no amount too small
Pastor Ace Mpinga tells us how he feels about receiving his title deed for the house he has lived in for 53 years through Khaya Lam
To help someone like Pastor Mpinga click here: Khaya Lam Donation - R1850 per title deed, no amount too small