ALMOST three decades later, 108 claimants received the keys to their homes in historic District Six, as part of the land restitution process.
The first group of 20 claimants received keys to their new homes on Thursday, paving the way for other claimants, some of whom grew up in the area and were forcibly removed with their families, to return home.
For Mavis Alexander, 83, the return to District Six on May 17 will be a watershed moment.
"She's ecstatic, it's been a long wait, but finally it's happening. She constantly tells me that it's no longer a dream. And on May 16 she will collect her keys," said Mavis' son, Jeff Alexander.
Alexander said the claimants’ fight to return justified the means.
"She can now return to where she belongs. I am hoping that she finds happiness in her last days," said Alexander.
Government said the third phase of the restitution process would be carried out in phases until May 25.
The claimants lodged their claims between 1995 and 1998 in line with the restitution process.
The majority of the residents live in impoverished areas on the Cape Flats where they were dumped after the apartheid government moved them shortly after it introduced the Group Areas Act.
The District Six Working Committee, which championed the restitution on behalf of the claimants, took the Department of Land Reform to the Land Claims Court in 2019 after the process was marred by several delays.
The court ruled in their favour and ordered the government to speed up the process and provide quarterly progress reports.
A detailed plan of the redevelopment of District Six was developed following the court ruling.
The plan included details on how the redevelopment would be funded, estimated time frames for implementation and the process to be followed in the allocation of the residential units.
The claimants were then told they would move into the new homes in 2021.
However, due to further delays and a process which was described by the claimants as "not transparent", their dreams and hopes were shattered once again.
Legal representatives for the District Six Working Committee wrote several letters to the department requesting transparency, a list of those who would receive homes and ensuring that the homes were suitable for the different categories of residents.
Chairperson Zahran Nordien described the journey as "unnecessarily long" for people who bore scars of trauma from the apartheid government."
The more than 25-year-long wait saw the death of several claimants, including the oldest, 100-year-old Shariefa Khan and the leader of the District Six Working Committee, Shaheed Ajam.
Nordien said that once the process was concluded, the claims of another 3 000 claimants would still need to be attended to, and as yet there was no indication of the conclusion date.
"These are related to claims that were lodged in 2000 but their papers got lost in the department and had to re-apply. They are now regarded as 2014 claimants. It's not fair. Our people were traumatised when they were forcibly removed from District Six. They have been waiting for restitution and some are dying off. There's now a democratic government in place but people had to wait for a long time," she said.
Minister for Land Reform, Thoko Didiza described the return of the claimants as the government's commitment to restoring the dignity of the District Six people.
"I am grateful to all stakeholders who made this historic day in the lives of the beneficiaries possible," said Didiza.
She said the department was also dealing with some disputes of families and verification challenges with some of the allocated beneficiaries. Nordien reminded the government to keep its promise of finalising the restitution process for all claimants by 2025.
"We hope and pray that they will keep their word," said Nordien.