Community-based natural resource management : a case study of the Makuleke community

Abstract

The transformation of the Republic of South Africa as a result of the 1994 democratic elections included fundamental changes in a number of areas. One such area is the restitution of land rights which, is part of government’s attempt on land reform. Restitution of land rights is a process meant to restore land to persons and communities which were forcefully removed from their land after 19 June 1913. The Makuleke Community is one of the first communities in South Africa to regain their ancestral land. The significance of the successful land claim is not only about ownership, it is more about the management and the sustainable use of natural resource found on such land for the benefit of the community.