Land Claims and National Parks-- the Makuleke Experience

The restoration of land rights is a key factor in South Africa's transformation. The complexities surrounding the restoration of land rights are often underestimated and the competing interests involved can cause the process to be protracted and emotional. Conflict of interest can be particularly great when land claims are instituted against national parks and other conservation areas cherished by the nation. While such parks and areas are vital for the local regional economic development of South Africa, historical wrings, which may have led to the establishment of these parks, must also be rectified. Many parks and conservation areas or parts thereof were, after all, established on land that had been expropriated from black people.