What is an example of symbolism in the novel, The Woman Next Door?

The land claims notices symbolize the need to make things right for the past. To roll back the horrors of apartheid, the state is seizing and granting land to the descendants of, and those people themselves, who were wronged in the past by having their land stolen. The Von Struickers find themselves enmeshed in such a case, despite the fact they bought their land legally and fairly at auction. This demonstrates how sins of the past, and of past generations, come back to haunt the living.