a few words
about us
welcome
Our History
BRC is a progressive non-governmental organisation working in the central and eastern parts of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. BRC seeks to defend human rights and democracy in rural areas, promote land reform (with a focus on betterment restitution), support community environmental initiatives and promote sustainable livelihoods in rural areas.
The late 1980s
Striving For Equality
BRC played a lead role in a national campaign to end forced incorporation into bantustans. In 1989 the South African government gave in to the pressure and offered the Peelton people land in South Africa. This was one of the great rural victories of the 1980s.
The early 1980s
Grahamstown Rural Commitee
BRC (then known as GRC) assisted communities to resist apartheid-era forced removals.
The early to mid 1990s
After Apartheid
BRC mobilized rural communities to participate in policy discussions and processes, dealing with issues ranging from redistribution and the constitutional approach to property, to rural development and local government. In the mid 1990s most of BRC’s energy in recent years has gone into implementation processes of one kind or another. However, most of these experiences exposed the limitations of government policy.
Late 1990s to date
Growth
BRC sought to identify further opportunities for advocacy work. BRC’s work in the area of ‘betterment and restitution’ is undoubtedly the highlight during this time. Milestones achieved to date in this regard have included settlement of the precedent-setting Cata claim in October 2000, and the settlement of betterment claims in all other communal villages in the Keiskammahoek area in June 2002. The victory with respect to the province-wide Vulamasango Singene campaign is another highlight. We anticipate that this will lead to a massive replication of the development process that has been piloted in Cata.
To sum up, BRC is an organisation that has already made an indelible mark on not only the rural areas of the Border region of the Eastern Cape, but indeed on the rural areas of South Africa
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