What People Want
		Chris WILLIAMS-WYNN, South Africa  
		
			
				
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					Chris Williams-Wynn 
					
					  
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		1)  
		This paper was presented at the FIG Working Week in 
		Sofia, Bulgaria, 17-21 May 2015. Land administration in South Africa is 
		an interesting study because it consists of a dual system that has 
		promoted investment in areas where private property rights were 
		permitted, but relegated the Traditional Communities into poverty and 
		disinvestment. The paper shows that the concept of ownership, land 
		rights and title deeds goes much further than the ability to buy and 
		sell property.  
		SUMMARY
		Notwithstanding the minority of authors that disagree, most research 
		has shown that private property rights provide far greater incentive for 
		an individual to create wealth and preserve the value of his/her assets 
		than State or communal ownership does.  In South Africa, policies of 
		separate development and restrictions placed on capital expenditure 
		imposed on the lands occupied by the indigenous people during the 
		colonial era prevented the state from implementing the Cadastre in the 
		communal areas of the country.  The status quo persists to this day, 
		which has resulted in a dual system that promoted investment in areas 
		where private property rights were permitted, but relegated the 
		Traditional Communities into poverty and disinvestment.     
		By observing the layout of rural communities, it is evident that 
		people have made an effort to define the boundaries of their land rights 
		through the erection of fences, hedges, stones and other visible 
		features.  In this study, therefore, the representative sample of 
		community members provided a broad indication of what people living in 
		Traditional Communities across South Africa wanted in terms of land 
		rights.  The results were twofold:  
		
			- Firstly, members of traditional communities were seldom 
			interested in land as a marketable commodity: community members 
			perceive themselves as the current custodians of land belonging to 
			their ancestors, the living and the members of the community still 
			to be born.  This is supported by findings of other researchers such 
			as in Goodwin (2014, pp.9–10).
 
			- Secondly, members of a traditional community primarily want 
			identity.  They want to be identified with the land they occupy.  
			Each one wants documented evidence that links him or her to the land 
			that he or she was born to share.  Each person wants proof that 
			indicates: “this is our land, my land; we belong, I belong!”    
 
		 
		
		  
		Settlement Patterns of a Rural Village on Communal Land near Mount 
		Frere, Eastern Cape  
		Photo: Mark Williams-Wynn  
		INTRODUCTION   
		The Government of South Africa recognises 12 monarchs and 774 other 
		Traditional Leaders (Department of Provincial and Local Government, 
		2002, p.39).  Traditional Communities have been allocated approximately 
		15.5 million hectares of communal land for occupation under these 
		Traditional Authorities, which equates to 13% of the country.  It is 
		estimated that there are 15 million people (between 30% and 40% of the 
		South African population) who either live in these Traditional 
		Communities (Department of Land Affairs, July 2004, p.12) or perceive 
		the communal area to be their “home” (Goodwin, 2014, p.2).  Apartheid 
		settlement patterns in South Africa have resulted in extra-legal 
		“rurbanisation”, where less-formal urbanisation has taken place in rural 
		confines.  Lack of infrastructure (including legal structures) and 
		resources in these rural areas has resulted in suffering, need and 
		dependency (FIG, August 2004, p.14).    
		Seldom is this land occupation recorded in any form of land right, 
		even outside the formal land administration system.  The lack of legal 
		recognition of ownership of the land that these communities have 
		occupied for generations may have resulted in unwillingness of members 
		of those communities to invest time, effort or capital into the land 
		they call their own.  It certainly cannot be viewed as a capital asset.  
		Yet, well-defined boundaries of fences or hedges, which surround many 
		homesteads in these communal areas, indicate an informal yet recognised 
		exclusivity and right of use.  The South African Government’s own 
		Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative (ASGISA, 2006, p.14) recognises 
		that land remains an unusable or “dead” asset until land tenure is 
		instituted and formalised.  Property rights are one of the 
		market-supporting institutions missing in the communal areas and, 
		because they are a missing component of the infrastructure that promotes 
		economic development, they limit private-sector investment 
		opportunities.  Therefore, one of the keys to local investment in 
		communal areas is the creation of tenure security for the people who 
		have occupied their family allotments for generations.  
		
		  
		Hedges identifying homestead boundaries on Communal Land near 
		Mbazwana, KwaZulu-Natal  
		Photograph: Justin Williams-Wynn  
		In support of this contention, Heitger (Winter 2004, p.384) argues 
		that the promotion of economic development without well-defined private 
		property rights (as was attempted in the Soviet Union) turned out to be 
		“very costly in terms of life, personal liberty and economic 
		prosperity”.  Zirker (Summer 2005, p.127), writing about inequities in 
		ownership in Brazil, notes that ownership is a privilege of the elite 
		and that landlessness is the lot of the masses, and voices the demand 
		for a re-evaluation of the distribution of property ownership.  
		Further, and particularly in Western countries, the owner of a land 
		right can use his or her title deed as security with a financial 
		institution in order to raise a loan (Blair et al, 2005, pp.50–52).  
		Land rights have worked in the West, and they have worked in South 
		Africa:  through the generation of active capital from formal property 
		rights, many South Africans have realised their dreams of improved 
		economic security.  Conversely, those who do not have anything but 
		insecure tenure perceive that the Traditional Community provides them 
		with little more than some form of social security (Goodwin, 2014, 
		pp.5–6).  
		Section 25 of the South African Constitution (Republic of South 
		Africa, 1996) clearly states that: “no law may permit arbitrary 
		deprivation of property”?  The Constitution further places an obligation 
		on Parliament to ensure, through the enactment of legislation, that all 
		people and communities are provided with secure tenure.  It therefore 
		seems illogical (at least to the researcher) that the South African land 
		administration system still retains what Mamdani (Fall/Winter 2002, 
		p.53) refers to as the “bifurcated legal structure” created by the 
		colonial practice and apartheid laws of the former regime.  
		
		  
		Fences separating a homestead from a communal tap near Mseleni, 
		KwaZulu-Natal  
		Photograph: Justin Williams-Wynn  
		THE DEMAND FOR PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS   
		The Land Summit meetings held throughout South Africa during the 
		middle of 2005 indicated overwhelmingly that the people of South Africa 
		want to own land.  One reason, as Nonyana twice states in her article on 
		resolving tenure disputes in rural communities (Nonyana, June 2004, p.3, 
		7), is that “Land ownership is associated with power.”  Mobumbela, in 
		discussion with authors Kayser and Adhikari (2004, p.330) declares that 
		“when it came to the question of land, people were prepared to die.”  
		These perspectives are understood in the context of property rights 
		being, according to Zirker (Summer 2005, pp.129–130), a “legal, 
		equitable, or moral title or claim to the possession of property” and 
		the “enjoyment of its privileges … [free] from interference by others, 
		particularly the government”.    
		de Soto’s hypothesis of why capitalism has failed everywhere except 
		in the West (de Soto, 2001, p.55) argues that the reason for its success 
		is that only in the West is property easily tradable and transferable.  
		Hanlon (September 2004, p.612–614), however, questions whether it is 
		exclusively the western-type freehold title as proposed by de Soto that 
		increases efficiency in the land market?  Instead, he suggests that the 
		World Bank’s policy (i.e., Deininger, 2003) dismisses de Soto’s 
		hypothesis.  Nevertheless, de Soto’s record of historical fact still 
		stands: the United States was no better off in the 19th century than is 
		Africa today (de Soto 2001, pp.15–16).  Their pioneers were seldom more 
		than adventurers and fortune-seekers; yet, once the United States 
		government of the day had recognised the claims of the settlers as 
		legitimate land rights, the new owners had a greater incentive to invest 
		in their land, which has supported the US in becoming the economic power 
		it is today (Deininger, 2003, p.27).  
		The same is evident in South Africa.  All that the Afrikaner people 
		had left after the ravages of the Anglo-Boer wars was their land 
		rights.  What the British had not confiscated, they had burnt or 
		destroyed.  Yet, within a few decades, admittedly with the support of 
		discriminatory legislative measures, much wealth was re-established from 
		the land.  Conversely, in Traditional Community Areas, where still no 
		land rights are formally documented even after 20 years of democracy, 
		people largely remain in abject poverty.  Ralikontsane (2001, p.69) 
		argues that secure land rights are a necessary component of an effective 
		land administration system and Kifle, Hussain and Mekonnen (June 2002, 
		p.16) propose that good governance seeks to “create an enabling 
		environment for the private sector—by ensuring respect for property 
		rights and by creating legal and judicial systems that enforce 
		contractual obligations and create a level field for private 
		enterprise.”  Another argument given by Blair et al. (2005, p.231) is 
		that “effectively enforced property rights are important for reducing 
		investment costs and risks…”  
		Amidst much ideological opposition, the United States inculcated the 
		concept of private property rights into the Third World during the 
		1960’s and 1970’s through its foreign policy influence.  The reasons for 
		the promotion of land rights into the Third World were many, including 
		the policy of undermining socialist ideologies and the means by which 
		their investments in African territories could be protected from 
		nationalisation and state intervention.  Over the years, these policies 
		have evolved and, currently, the global community perceives that the 
		primary objective of any land policy should be sustainable development 
		(FIG, August 2004, p.16).  Therefore, much of the historic opposition to 
		property rights (as epitomised by countries such as Cuba and Nicaragua) 
		is currently weakening and, according to Zirker (2005, p.126), even the 
		Chinese Communist party has recently announced that “private property 
		rights ‘legally acquired’ are inviolable.”  
		
		  
		Fences defining boundaries on Communal Land near Qunu, Eastern Cape
		 
		Photo: Mark Williams-Wynn  
		THE ARGUMENT AGAINST PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS  
		 Nevertheless, there are some dissenting voices to the clamour 
		for property rights.  Zirker (2005, p.126) argues that property rights 
		are essentially a Western capitalist concept and this is supported by de 
		Soto’s hypothesis of why capitalism has failed everywhere except in the 
		West (de Soto, 2001, p.55).  A reason given for the success of 
		capitalism in the West is because capitalism works best where property 
		is easily tradable and transferable (PLAAS Policy Brief, October 2005).  
		However, in a market economy, the poor are the most vulnerable and often 
		their only means of generating capital is through the sale of their 
		property.  Even though they may own the land that they occupy, they do 
		not have the means to secure credit and they seldom have the capacity to 
		repay a loan.  The PLAAS policy brief therefore argues that individual 
		ownership actually decreases the security of tenure of many occupants.  
		This position is supported by reference to a study carried out in an 
		economic housing development in Joe Slovo Park, Cape Town.  Hence, PLAAS 
		believe that the property market promotes capitalism at the expense of 
		livelihood security of the poor.  
		In another investigation into communal land rights, this time in 
		Mexico, Munoz-Pina (October 2003, p.130), cautions that the cost of 
		privatisation can exceed the expected benefits.  Firstly, there is a 
		scarcity of willing buyers of land in communal areas and, secondly, the 
		actual realisable land value is still very limited.  Even with economies 
		of scale, the values of land parcels are unlikely to warrant the 
		expenditure and, further, the benefit would be spread unevenly, 
		depending on where the demand is.  Also, Munoz-Pina is concerned that 
		community life, which provides “other advantages such as information 
		sharing, mutual insurance and political clout” – i.e., collective action 
		– would be destroyed.  Amin and Thrift (in Harrison, 1994, pp.84–85) 
		also have negative perceptions when they consider that: “… efforts to 
		regenerate the local economy through locally regulated ventures … run 
		the risk of doing little more than legitimising a false belief in the 
		possibility of achieving solutions for what are global problems beyond 
		local control …”  They continue: “Somewhat bleakly then, we are forced 
		to conclude that the majority of localities may need to abandon the 
		illusion of the possibility of self-sustaining growth and accept the 
		constraints laid down by the process of increasingly integrated global 
		development.”  
		
		  
		Fences and hedges defining boundaries on Communal Land near Tsolo, 
		Eastern Cape  
		Photo: Mark Williams-Wynn  
		Are these truly justifiable reasons to oppose private property 
		rights?  It is common knowledge that there are huge variances in the 
		monetary value of property, depending on its location and its useful 
		resources.  However, the author supports the contention of Azhar 
		(October 1993, p.118) that land has no value at all to the occupant 
		until he or she has the right to own and to trade it and to harvest the 
		resources it provides.  Even so, much of the value of the land is 
		determined by the land market, which is not concerned about the 
		livelihood security of the occupant, especially where the occupant is 
		very poor!  In all three cases – that of PLAAS, Munoz-Pina, and Amin and 
		Thrift, therefore, very valid concerns are raised, but their concerns 
		should be matters to protect against when creating land rights, rather 
		than being reasons not to issue private property rights.  
		BENEFITS OF TENURE SECURITY   
		This research needed, therefore, to look beyond the market value and 
		tradability of land.  UN-Habitat’s document entitled “Global Campaign 
		for Secure Tenure” (1999, p.7) advocates secure tenure because the body 
		believes that it ensures there is progressive and sustained improvement 
		in the living conditions of the beneficiaries.  Further, the provision 
		of secure tenure advances the fulfilment of Target 11 of Goal 7 of the 
		Millennium Development Goals – “to achieve a significant improvement in 
		the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by the year 2020” 
		through increasing the “proportion of people with secure tenure” (i.e., 
		Indicator 31) (UN-Habitat, 2003, p.26).  Subsequent to the Millennium 
		Development Goals, the United Nations established an Open Working Group 
		(OWG) of Sustainable Development Goals to define agreed goals for the 
		post-2015 Agenda.  The OWG has developed 17 goals with 169 targets.  
		Proposed Goal 1, target 4, reads: “By 2030, ensure that all men and 
		women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to 
		economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and 
		control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural 
		resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including 
		microfinance” (Open Working Group, 2014, p.7).  
		While UN-Habitat literature referred to above may have had its focus 
		on urban areas, it is important to note that urbanisation of many 
		Traditional Community areas is taking place, especially where they are 
		in closer proximity to existing metropolitan areas.  These are 
		highlighted in the research by Mogale, Mabin and Durand-Lasserve (April 
		2003).  Secondly, if the lack of security of tenure is a limiting factor 
		in urban areas, how much more so in the rural parts of the Traditional 
		Community areas, where occupants have very little other than a tenuous 
		right to build a homestead and whose livelihood is gleaned from a 
		communal share in the land?  For this reason, the Public Service 
		Commission Report (2003, p.10) highlights the fact that any tenure 
		system should exist primarily as a protection for the poor, who have no 
		other mechanism to defend their occupational rights, and, as PLAAS 
		(October 2005) emphasises, not as a marketable commodity.  
		More than leaving the poor at the mercies of the capitalist market, 
		this formal recognition of occupation provides legal protection, and 
		hence diminishes the fear of forced eviction (UN-Habitat, 2003, p.28); 
		it provides the right holder with “status and citizenship” (ibid, p.7) 
		and it provides equal rights for all, as it provides a mechanism to 
		overcome discriminatory practices (ibid, p.32).  Secure tenure is also 
		one of the most important catalysts for, firstly, attracting large-scale 
		capital necessary for comprehensive slum upgrading and, secondly, to 
		encourage the urban poor themselves to invest in their own dwelling and 
		communities (ibid, p.28).  
		There are other benefits that this research has also considered.  
		Deininger (2003, p.27), on behalf of the World Bank, supports the notion 
		that land tenure is beneficial with his argument that legitimate land 
		rights provide an incentive to invest.  People are more likely to sink 
		personal time and effort (and not just financial investment) into 
		something when they know that they will enjoy the benefit thereof.  In 
		addition, Wood (May 2002, p.30) asserts that, “The best way to moderate 
		inequality is to spread the ownership of productive assets more 
		widely.”  Wood (ibid, p.21) also argues that the institution of private 
		property rights reduces the risk in non-commercial investment.  Further, 
		Durang and Tanner (2004, pp.1–9), in their paper on “Access to land and 
		other natural resources for local communities in Mozambique”, give the 
		following benefits of security of tenure, based on their research:  
		
			- it places resources in the hands of the people; 
 
			- it gives people the ability to invest and respond to market 
			dynamics; 
 
			- it provides an incentive to invest scarce resources in the 
			protection and conservation of the land and its natural resources;
			
 
			- it gives to the people who sacrifice time and effort the right 
			to reap the benefit; 
 
			- it protects the right to the exclusion of others; 
 
			- it provides a public de facto resource inventory; 
 
			- it involves the communities as stakeholders in any new 
			development initiated by external parties; and 
 
			- it limits the ability of outsiders (especially government 
			officials) to allocate rights without community support – hence 
			placing a check on corruption and rent-seeking activities. 
 
		 
		Enemark et al (2014, p.14) summarises all of the above by concluding 
		that: “Sound land administration systems deliver a range of benefits to 
		society in terms of: support of governance and the rule of law; 
		alleviation of poverty; security of tenure; support of formal land 
		markets; security of credit; support for land and property taxation; 
		protection of state lands; management of land disputes; and improvement 
		of land use planning and implementation.”  All these examples provide 
		substantial support to the suggestion that secure tenure is beneficial 
		to those afforded it, but in particular to poorer people.  The arguments 
		therefore swing in favour of clearly documented and identifiable land 
		rights that provide secure tenure for the people.  
		RESULTS OF INSECURITY   
		On the other hand, people deprived of secure tenure have no means of 
		securing their assets and are therefore held in the grips of poverty.  
		Wood (May 2002, p.30) argues that, “In a land-abundant developing 
		region, the most obvious asset is land itself.  The extremely unequal 
		distribution of land in colonial times was a root cause of Latin 
		America’s chronic income inequality”.  Moreover, the World Bank 
		Investment Climate Surveys (World Bank, 2005, p.43) indicate that, 
		firstly, cost, secondly, access to finance and, thirdly, access to land 
		are three constraints that have had a negative impact on private sector 
		activity.  Further, “… although significant improvements have been made 
		in the provision of services, the poor remain deprived of many public 
		[facilities] necessary for entrepreneurial activities (such as property 
		rights, public safety and infrastructure), and incur high costs in time 
		and expense when trying to obtain these” (Gantsha, Orkin and Kimaryo, 
		2005, p.51).  Until this happens, the traditional areas will remain 
		within the realms of the informal economy, excluded from information, 
		development, business services and access to credit.  Simply put, people 
		are less likely to invest in their property if it is not theirs!  
		Yet, land rights alone do not generate wealth (Braithwaite, 2007, 
		p.9).  Demanding expenses of agricultural activities and the 
		unpredictability of external forces such as drought and floods have sunk 
		many aspirant farmers.  Knowledge, skills and capital are all essential 
		additives to reduce the risk of failure, and these are scarce amongst 
		the poor.  Nevertheless, without secure property rights, there is even 
		less chance of success.  
		RESEARCH FINDINGS   
		While the author is convinced of the benefits of the security 
		afforded to people by a land tenure system, it still needed to be 
		determined if this is what people who occupy land with insecure forms of 
		tenure actually want.  Therefore, the author, with assistance from a 
		team of fieldworkers, interviewed individuals who either lived 
		permanently in a Traditional Community or considered a communal area to 
		be their “home”.  Leedy and Ormrod (2005, p.207) suggest that, for a 
		large population, a sample size of 400 should be adequate.  (Estimates 
		mentioned earlier suggest that the communal areas have a population of 
		around 15 million)  In this research, a total of 717 responses were 
		received, which is considered to be representative of all members of 
		Traditional Communities of South Africa.  In addition, several 
		photographs, taken by the author and his family during journeys made 
		through the Traditional Communities in the Eastern Cape, Free State, 
		KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, add external observation that complement 
		the findings of the research.  The photographs provide widespread 
		observational evidence of the existence of informal land tenure rights 
		where none are documented in a formal land administration system.  
		  The research ascertained whether land rights are wanted, through 
		seeking answers to the research question: “Why would Community 
		Authorities and members want to convert their de facto land occupation 
		into de jure land tenure, i.e., what are the perceived advantages?”.  
		The questionnaire endeavoured to gain further insight to the answer 
		through a second question: “If your family obtains a title deed to their 
		land allocation, what would this mean to your family?”  The author made 
		some attempt during the capturing process to group these responses, yet 
		still came up with around 100 different types of answer.  There were, 
		however, a few broad patterns and these are shown as 21 different 
		categories in Figure 1 below.  
		Of the 717 respondents, 15 respondents answered “don’t know” and a 
		further 97 respondents left the question unanswered.  This makes up 112 
		of 717, or 16% of the total.  A further 158 respondents (22% of the 
		total number of respondents) gave answers that suggested a lack of 
		understanding of the question, as they gave answers such as “happy” and 
		“yes”!  It is noted that some discussion in groups took place over the 
		questions, as there were often several similar or identical answers from 
		the same community.  While this may have detracted from personal 
		opinions, it would certainly bode well for the future of land rights if 
		people have already started to foster a common thinking towards their 
		creation.  Even when the answers indicated a lack of understanding, as 
		shown through testing the responses further on in this research, there 
		is an overwhelming indication of the expectation that benefit will 
		result from receiving a title deed.  
		
		  
		Figure 1: Reasons given for wanting de jure Land Tenure  
		Figure 2 demonstrates that 75% of all respondents gave an answer that 
		indicated positive sentiments toward receiving their own land rights.  A 
		further 6% declared their interest in the concept.  This is compared 
		with less than 7% of respondents who indicated that they are against 
		receiving their own land rights.  The actual figures have been 
		summarised in the table below.  Notwithstanding that 81% of respondents 
		indicated interest in obtaining a visible record for the land that they 
		occupy, a large proportion of these provided no evidence to show that 
		they understood the concept of land rights.  
		Most importantly, there were four issues that the answers 
		highlighted.  Firstly, 17% (123 respondents) saw the demarcation and 
		record of land rights as some form of proof, assurance or confirmation 
		of ownership.  Secondly, 193 respondents (27%) recognised the title deed 
		as providing ownership to the land that they occupy.  This may be an 
		unintentional difference, but there is nevertheless a clear distinction 
		(at least in the author’s mind).  The first group suggested a belief 
		that their occupation is tantamount to ownership of the land, and need 
		the documentary evidence to prove it, whereas the second group seem to 
		have recognised that their occupation is not ownership, but the public 
		record would confer ownership.  These two groups combined represented 
		316 respondents, or 44% of 717.  
		The third issue that is highlighted is that only 20 of the 
		respondents (2,8%) stated outright that they did not want title deeds or 
		gave negative connotations to the concept of title deeds – such as 
		“oppression”, “expenses” and “the end of tribal land”.  This is a small 
		minority, but, of course, it cannot be ignored or deemed 
		inconsequential.  Lastly, only one respondent commented on the notion of 
		a land market and another respondent mentioned that it would provide 
		access to loan finance – often the key reasons given in the West for the 
		institution of land rights.  
		
		  
		Figure 2: Interest of Community Members in receiving their own land 
		rights  
		This research shows, therefore, that the overwhelming majority of the 
		respondents, all of whom are members of traditional communities, desire 
		the conversion of their de facto land occupation rights into de jure 
		land tenure rights.  
		CONCLUSION   
		The results are therefore conclusive – there is an informal 
		allocation and demarcation of land rights in Traditional Community Areas 
		that can be brought into a public registry of property rights, which is 
		currently based on diagrams and title deeds.  This research, therefore, 
		advocates that a key to the economic prosperity of South Africa is an 
		effective legal infrastructure of property rights and land 
		administration in communal areas that promotes the security of tenure.  
		At the XXIII Fédération Internationale des Géomètres (FIG) Congress 
		held in Munchen; Germany from 8th – 13th October 2006, Hans-Erik 
		Wilberg, Executive Director of the Swedish Lantmäteriet, commented that: 
		“Land is one of the most valuable assets and an important base for the 
		development of the wealth of a nation.  Good land administration is 
		essential for the development of an effective land market and a secure 
		financial sector and will provide a basis for land management and land 
		taxation.  To unlock that wealth, a nation must develop a framework of 
		land and property laws, effective public institutions, secured 
		procedures and processes and an effective information system”.  
		In addition to this, a good land administration system also provides 
		proof to the owners of their inviolable rights, protection to the owners 
		against unjustifiable loss, the right to the exclusion of others to 
		utilise the land and its resources, the right to succession of heirs, 
		and a unique address.  But most important of all, it provides the owner 
		of that right an identity – a place of belonging and of self-worth!  The 
		concept of ownership, land rights and title deeds goes much further than 
		the ability to buy and sell property.  Some of the answers given by 
		people excited to receive title to the land they occupy are that it 
		provides visible evidence, it gives security of title, and it brings 
		permanence, protection and pride.  Do people want land rights?  The 
		people have spoken, and the answer is overwhelmingly: “Yes”!  “Amandla 
		ngawethu![1]” [1] ”Amandla 
		ngawethu” is an isiXhosa phrase meaning “the power is ours”.  
		
		  
		Fences defining land allocations on Communal Land near eNkambeni, 
		Mpumalanga  
		Photo: Mark Williams-Wynn  
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		University of Chicago Press, pp. 115 – 129. 
		Blair, T. et al. (2005), Our Common Interest – Report of the 
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		BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 
		Chris Williams-Wynn grew up in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, and 
		went to school at St Andrew’s College in Grahamstown.  After school, he 
		completed a BSc (Honours) degree in Land Surveying from what is now the 
		University of KwaZulu-Natal and has more recently completed his Masters 
		in Public and Development Management at the University of the 
		Witwatersrand.  
		He is a Registered Professional Land Surveyor, a Registered Sectional 
		Titles Practitioner, a Registered Township Planner and a Disability 
		Rights Activist.  Having worked for 17 years in the private sector, he 
		moved into the government sector due to his deteriorating physical 
		ability.  Mr. Williams-Wynn was appointed the Surveyor-General: 
		KwaZulu-Natal on 1st May 1998, and transferred at his own request to 
		establish the Office of the Surveyor-General: Eastern Cape on 1st July 
		2010.  
		Mr. Williams-Wynn travels extensively throughout South Africa and 
		occasionally internationally, as he is an advisor to several Government 
		institutions on land issues, with particular interest in legislation 
		affecting development approvals.  He serves on the Townships Board, the 
		Land Use Regulations Board and the Spatial Planning and Land Use 
		Management Steering Committee.  One of his main passions is to see 
		people in the Traditional Communities also benefit from the Land Rights 
		system of the country.  
		Outside of his survey career, Mr. Williams-Wynn is interested in 
		environmental conservation, with special interests in birds and trees. 
		 This interest has benefited his knowledge concerning coastal public 
		property and the legal position of boundaries adjoining the high water 
		mark of the sea, rivers and estuaries.  He is also a Society Steward of 
		the Methodist Church and an active Rotarian.  He is married to Glenda, a 
		Natural Sciences Graduate, currently working as a Conservation Ecology 
		Research Assistant and they live in Kidd’s Beach.  
		CONTACTS
		Mr. Chris Williams-Wynn 
		Surveyor-General: Eastern Cape, Department of Rural Development and Land 
		Reform 
		Private Bag X 9086, East London, 5200 
		East London, Eastern Cape 
		SOUTH AFRICA 
		Tel.  +27 43 783 1424 
		Fax.  +27 43 726 4279 
		Email: Chris.WilliamsWynn[at]drdlr.gov.za 
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