Gender Based Violence Conference
From 14th to 16th October a Conference on Gender Based Violence was held In the Limpopo Province. It was organised by the Commission for Gender Equality, Nkuzi and some other organisations also assisted and were part of the organising team. One of the issues identified in the conference is the link between the lack of secure land rights for women and violence against women. Women often risk loosing their homes and means of income and survival if they are to challenge violence against them or leave an abusive husband.
The Provincial Conference was one of a series of such conferences building up to a National Conference on Gender Based Violence to be held in Cape Town at the end of December.

Women and Land Workshop
From 24th to 26th October Nkuzi ran a workshop that was attended by women from 24 different communities claiming land in the Nzhelele area in the north of Limpopo Province. The workshop addressed: women's rights; issues that specifically affect women when it comes to access to and use of land; strategies to ensure that women benefit from land reform; and strategies for the organising of women to assert their rights and position within projects and in access to land.
This workshop is part of a process that Nkuzi is facilitating to develop an integrated plan for land reform within the area. This is being done in close collaboration with the local government and organised landless people in the area. One of the priorities for Nkuzi is to ensure that women have a central part in decision making and implementation of the plan and that they benefit from the land reform that gets implemented in the area.

Woman Evicted
Selinah Mabaso lives in the village of Matangari with her four children. Her husband passed away in 1998 and since then her in laws, led by her mother in law, have been trying to take over the house and plot where she lived with her husband.
After several appearances in the magistrate's court she was arrested in August this year and ordered to leave the place in two weeks. She has carried on staying in the house despite this and other harassment from the in laws and has now been ordered to appear in court again on the 27th November. It appears the magistrate is acting, we believe quite wrongly, in terms of estate law.
Interestingly in this case the chief and traditional authority have been trying to assist Selinah and believe the house and plot should belong to her as the wife of the deceased.
The case was referred to Nkuzi a few weeks ago and we will provide legal representation at the court hearing on the 27th.

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Nkuzi Development Association

Contact Marc, Tel: 012-323 6417 Fax: 323 8793

Main Office, Tel: 015-297 6972. Fax: 015-297 6975
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Organising for Land Rights and Production