uMhlaba Talks

This episode was recorded in July 2024

This episode was recorded in July 2025

In this episode, Dr uMbuso weNkosi and uMhlaba move beyond narrow materialistic and legalistic arguments about the land question, highlighting that for many Black South Africans, the meanings of land and dispossession are deeply intertwined with spirituality, identity, and being.

In this episode, Dr Jacob Cloete — filmmaker, researcher, entrepreneur, and author of The Attempted Erasure of the Khoekhoe and San (2023) — explores the ongoing erasure of the Khoekhoe and San peoples in South Africa. Tracing this erasure back to 1652, Dr Cloete reflects on how it continues to shape contemporary understandings of “coloured” identity and belonging, even decades after the formal end of apartheid. This episode was recorded in July 2024.

Dr Christie van Zyl (Gogo Bazamile), an Indigenous healthcare advisor and traditional health practitioner; explores the spiritual dimensions of land, its significance in African psychology and ontology, and its role in intergenerational healing.

In this episode, with Nomboniso Gasa, uMhlaba delves into the history of land dispossession in South Africa, examining the various methods used to remove people from their land. The discussion also explores how politics has been, and continues to be, used as a tool in addressing the land question.

The Land and Accountability Research Centre presents uMhlaba Talks. A seven-part series that explores land-related debates, weaving together spirituality, politics, and law to uncover overlooked dimensions of South Africa’s land debates.

Each episode engages with renowned academics, activists, and traditional health practitioners to shed light on the complex impacts of land dispossession—from the strugglesof farm labourers and mining-affected communities to the historical trauma endured by Khoi and San communities. Welcome to uMhlaba Talks, a podcast facilitated by the Land & Accountability Research Centre.