“They will never know what we lost when we lost our home”: How Do Women in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, Remember Forced Removals (1960-1990)?

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the enduring impact of forced removals and the significance of land dispossession in present-day South African politics. It is based on interviews I conducted with women who experienced forced removals in the 1970s from areas surrounding Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal. Much of the literature on forced removals focuses on the event of the removals and less on the aftermath of the event particularly from the perspective of the women who have often had to lead the rebuilding of households, communities and local economies. Access to land and land ownership is today still a contested topic despite government initiatives to remedy the injustices of the past. Using a feminist lens in conducting this research means identifying the need to highlight and put forth women’s experiences of land dispossession in ongoing land debates. Moreover, the study is a contribution to the limited literature on the long- term effects of dispossession for those who experienced forced removals in the country. Furthermore, this study illustrates the limits of the current land reform policy in addressing the far-reaching effect of the removals as is revealed through interviews with the women who experienced forced removals. In this study, I argue that the current approach of restitution cannot be successful unless it acknowledges the ongoing nature of the experience of forced removals. Remembering and referring to the past is part of the initiative to establish a better future for the vast majority of previously (and often still) disadvantaged people.