Gauteng hosts Natives Land Act Exhibition

The exhibition will take place between 26 July and 4 August at the Nasrec Expo Centre, near Soweto.

Premier spokesperson Thebe Mohatle said the exhibition forms part of the activities to mark 100 years since the promulgation of the 1913 Natives’ Land

Act by the apartheid government.

“The exhibition at the Nasrec Expo Centre is the second leg of the road-show, following a successful run at the Cape Town International Convention

Centre in June,” he said.

It will be hosted in all the provinces, ending in the Western Cape in March 2014.

“The exhibition features a vibrant cast, including actors from the Gauteng Province, and covers three broad themes on colonial and apartheid land dispossession; resistance to colonialism and apartheid; and the restitution of land rights to victims of forced removals under the democratic government,” said Mohatle.

Director-General for the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, Mduduzile Shabane, said the exhibition was aimed at creating awareness, especially among the youth, about the journey travelled thus far. It deals with the progress made by the government of the day towards reversing the negative legacy of the 1913 Natives’ Land Act and related racially-motivated laws.

Moving through the different eras depicted in the exhibition, there’s an overwhelming sense of positive resolve to ensure the safe-guarding of the country’s hard-earned democracy, and to never be part of any legislation that seeks to oppress.

Visitors will be asked to sign a pledge that commits them to actively support government’s efforts towards nation-building.