Land ownership in South Africa is a thorny issue. The magnitude of this challenge is so
huge that we are like a country sitting on a time bomb which is already ticking and ready
to explode. Whilst it remains a dream of every South African to own a piece of land, the
government has been slow to deliver to its promise. This article seeks to explore the
issue of land and dispossession from the perspectives of those in the margins, the
homeless in the City of Tshwane. This is done by allowing them space to read and reflect
on 1 Kings 21:1-16 and apply it in their context of landlessness. Emerging voices of
ordinary readers of the text, as represented by the homeless in the City of Tshwane,
suggest that land ownership is more than just a commercial issue; it involves such issues
as culture, politics and religion, amongst others. Power dynamics are at play, especially
with regard to the right to the City. There is also an issue of attachment, especially when
issues of ancestry and birthrights are raised.
Citation:Mashau, T.D. 2014. More than just a piece of land: Power dynamics in the land discourse within the City of Tshwane. In Missionalia 42:3 (November 2014): 192-211.
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