Abstract:
After independence, South Africa embarked on a land reform programme that is meant to redress the highly
inequitable land ownership which resulted from Apartheid. The programme comprises land redistribution,
land restitution and land tenure. On restitution projects, the maintenance of production has been highly
problematic. Loss of production means there is very little or no livelihoods impacts from restitution. The
beneficiaries of restitution projects usually have neither farming experience nor capital to continue or restart
the farm operations. As a result, most restitution projects are either non-functional or are functioning at a
meager fraction of previous levels. Most studies on restitution have been carried out by studying the
beneficiaries but not previous owners. I use the social constructivist paradigm to explore personal experience
through engagement using the interview as a data collection tool. I explore the perspectives of a previous land
owner who provides insights into how the restitution programme could be made more successful by letting a
conversation occur between the previous owners and beneficiaries. I posit that it is essential to include the
previous owners to reduce the trauma from loss of their lifestyle while also reducing beneficiaries’ trauma
caused by lack of benefits from restitution.
