Municipal commonage as a form of land redistribution: A case study of the new farms of Leliefontein, a communal reserve in Namaqualand, South Africa

Abstract

This paper examines the implementation of a quasi-commercial land use system on newly acquired municipal commonage in Leliefontein, a former ‘coloured reserve’ in Namaqualand, Northern Cape. This land has been acquired ostensibly for use by all of the reserve’s residents. A Commonage Committee made up of community members and state representatives has been set up to manage this land on behalf of the municipality. After describing the management framework that has been put in place, this paper investigates how the implementation of this framework is actually unfolding on the ground. This investigation is based on fieldwork undertaken in Leliefontein over the course of 2003 and the first half of 2004.