“While acknowledging the real achievements made in settling claims, particularly urban
claims, this report poses the question of what the restitution programme has contributed to the broader objectives of land reform and agrarian change – hence the focus on the restoration of rural land. It does not seek to evaluate the restitution programme as a whole. The report describes the legal, policy and institutional framework guiding restitution and explores, through the prism of the restitution project cycle, how the programme has been implemented and how this has shaped certain outcomes. The achievements of restitution are summarised and the remaining challenges of delivery are discussed both in quantitative terms – the claims to be
settled and the likely cost – and challenges for institutions, policy and politics.”
