On 19 June 2023, SERI made a submission on the draft norms and standards for the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) following a call by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development for all stakeholders and interested persons to submit written inputs on the draft norms and standards in terms of section 8 of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Act.
The objective of the draft norms and standards are to "promote social inclusion, spatial equity, efficient settlement patterns, rural revitalization, urban regeneration and sustainable development". They have been developed to "promote a normative approach that will ensure wise use of land" and to "enable spatial planning and land use management to be undertaken in a manner that is responsive to the varying landscape of municipal capacities throughout the country."
SERI welcomes the development of the SPLUMA norms and standards and submits comments that suggest ways for the Department to better align them with the provisions of the Constitution. Amongst these, is to include the incorporation of sections 25(5), 25(6), and 26(3) which establish rights to equitable access to land, secure tenure, and guarantee everyone a right against eviction from or to have their homes demolished without a court order and prohibit any legislation that may permit arbitrary eviction. SERI submits these are key to explicitly include as any review of the legal framework would be incomplete without it.
- Access the submission here.