ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the themes of property and subjection in the land claim on Dwesa-Cwebe Nature Reserve, South Africa. The context of a claim on a protected area gave rise to complex bases for claims: the claimants merged descent with participation in struggle, while their opponents drew on a diverse mix of discourses under the rubric of conservation. Although the claimants won the claim, the form of property they received may be characterized as ‘a bundle of duties and a handful of rights’. In addition to maintaining the prerestitution land use, the restitution claim was the vehicle for the formalization of obligations to a number of ‘secondary stakeholders’. While the duties associated with landownership expanded considerably, the rights being secured by the claimants were quite limited; they did not include forest products and grazing, and were limited to rental income, a one-time cash payment and access to government grants. The effectiveness of the rights that were transferred in turn depend on a set of ambient conditions that is highly contingent upon factors beyond the control of the claimants. Finally, the institutional arrangements that have been created to administer the restitution funds appear to be leading to new forms of subjection; they have become a vehicle for an emergent local government to assert unprecedented control and influence in the region.
