Families forcibly removed to make way for Wild Coast resort finally get justice
The community will get back its 700ha of ocean-facing land, and will be shareholders of, and receive rent for, the land the Wild Coast Sun resort was built on
After nearly 40 years, the Umgungundlovu community has got its land on the KwaZulu-Natal Wild Coast back, which includes the area on which the renowned Sun International casino and resort is built. This was after a landmark agreement was signed between the community, Sun International and the department of rural development and land reform this week. As part of this agreement — signed on Monday in Sandton — the community will now get back its pristine 700ha of Indian Ocean-facing land, and will be shareholders of, and receive rent for the land the multi-million Wild Coast Sun casino and resort was built upon. The community lodged a land claim with the post-apartheid government in 1996, and it was later accepted as valid. Thirty-seven years ago hundreds of Umgungundlovu families — many of whom were growers and livestock farmers and fishermen — were forcibly removed from their land to make way for the 430ha resort. Several years before that, hotel magnate Sol Kerzner had negotiated a ...
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