The Rural Development and Land Reform Department says the signing of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Bill into law will ensure that municipalities develop their own policies in line with government’s objectives.
President Jacob Zuma signed the Act into law on Monday. The Department’s Director-General Mdu Shabane says it took 10 years to finalise the legislation, which is aimed at doing away with the previous apartheid segregated spatial planning of land which separated black and white South Africans.
“We are very excited because there is a big void right now in various parts of the country as there is currently no framework legislation,” Shabane says. He says the new law will also speed up land redress.
“So this act comes at a good time where we are marking the centenary of the 1913 Natives Land Act which created spatial apartheid. The act will assist the local and provincial spheres of government to develop their land use management skills to reintegrate society,” Shabene says.