Archives as evidence for land restitution process in South Africa

Abstract

The responsibility of the government to redress the inequalities and injustices of historical land dispossessions by making use of archives has become a significant tool in that regard. Archival institutions in most countries prioritised collecting and preserving memories to serve as evidence for land claims. This study sought to explore the usage of archives as evidence in land restitution processes in South Africa, aiming to identify potential solutions for improving the effectiveness of utilising archives as evidence for land claims in the country. The study adopted a qualitative approach to collect data through interviews with project officers and archivists as well as oral testimony for restitution claimants. Snowball sampling was used to select restitution claimants, while purposeful sampling was used for archivists and project officers. The study found that factors inhibiting the use of archives at the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa (NARSSA) to settle land claims include language barriers, a lack of archives, a lack of public programming initiatives, geographic barriers and limited working hours. Ultimately, this paper concludes that if the NARSSA does not collect more undocumented memories of the marginalised communities through oral history and land records older than 20 years, the victims of land dispossessions will not get justice or land rights. It is recommended that the NARSSA should digitise land restitution collections and make them accessible to the public on their website to increase the use of archives to shape the outcome of the restitution process.