Section 31: Sale back to owner

31. Sale back to owner (1) Notwithstanding section 5 of the State Lands Act, where the whole or part of any land which has been compulsorily acquired is no longer required for any purpose, the Minister or any person on whose behalf the land has been compulsorily acquired shall offer to sell the land at the price it would fetch on the open market at the time of the offer, to the person who, but for the compulsory acquisition, would have owned it. (2) Where the person to whom an offer is made under subsection (1) fails to signify his acceptance of the offer within 6 weeks of the notification of the offer to him, the offer shall lapse. [S. 31 amended by Act 48 of 1991.]