The smell of freshly baked muffins filled the air as you step into the home of 81-year-old William Francis, who, along with his family, were forcibly removed from their cottage in Protea Village, Kirstenbosch in the mid-1960s.
This modest home in Belhar was the end of a long journey for William, his wife Joy, and their family – a journey that began five decades ago with apartheid forced removals.
William and Joy have been together for almost six decades, and throughout the years, Joy played a pivotal role in helping her husband and his family reclaim their ancestral land – or as William called it, the “Promise Land”.
Their claim, lodged in 1995, was recently approved, and after years of waiting, the couple is now closer than ever to returning…
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Weekend Argus Saturday (Digital) - 1 Issue, 2025-03-22