Sa could model its land reform on the success achieved in. Ntsholo agreed that there would be no need for land reform in south africa, a. Government will continue to accelerate the pace of land reform within the framework of the constitution of the republic of south africa, respective legislation and according to the rule of law. South africas land reform efforts lack a focus on struggling. Inadequate and inappropriate planning, and lack of meaningful consultation with beneficiaries, gives rise to negative community dynamics, a lack of institutional support and uncoordinated service delivery. Speeding up the identification for compulsory acquisition of not less than. Lessons of experience and emerging issues lorenzo cotula, camilla toulmin and ced hesse february 2004 copies of this publication can be obtained from. The natives land act of 19 engineered the poverty of. In 1992, the world bank initiated a report on the agricultural sector in south africa. South africas land reform programme, of which land tenure is one of three components, was officially launched in april 1997 with the publication of the white paper on land policy. Similar to the objectives of the sa yearbook, the pocket guide is also aimed at. Introduction land reform and restitution has become one of the most pressing issues in south africa. Rights, development, and the restrained state canadian journal of african studies, 38 3 2004.
The progress of land reform in south africa 1994 2008. It is a precondition for the success of governments growth, employment and redistribution strategy. South koreas land reform is regarded as one of the most successful, making largescale land redistribution possible within a short period. His comments come against claims that whites owned 87 percent of south africas land and that little progress has been made in changing this picture. Farm incubator and training hubs to capacitate young. The case for land reform to make a case for land reform one has to make two distinct arguments. We hope it will stimulate interest in the fulllength report, in which the issues and recommendations briefly described here are discussed in depth. Land reform in south africa is a moral, social and economic imperative. The scenarios were developed by 40 people who approach land reform from widely differing perspectives. The focus of the paper is the land redistribution program, but it touches briefly on restitution and tenure. Now 16 years into democracy, landless people hope that government under the leadership of president jacob zuma, and rural development and land reform.
The goals of land tenure reform include the establishment of coownership rights for groups and communities living in the. Post settlement challenges for land reform beneficiaries. The challenges of transformation and redistribution cherryl walker human sciences research council harold wolpe memorial trust conference cape town, 25 27 march 2004. It is believed to allow previously unemployed people to participate in the economy and better the countrys economic growth. The need for the current land reform programme arose from the racially discriminatory laws and practices which were in place for the largest part of the twentieth century, especially those related to land ownership.
The need for land reform south africa suffered a long history of colonization, racial domination and land dispossession that resulted in the bulk of the agricultural land being owned by a white minority. Bilateral investment treaties and land reform in southern africa. It is distinctive in its focus on breaking up large and productive farms. In south africa too, land and land reform, are unquestionably emotive issues, and matters related hereto need to be handled with circumspection and sensitivity by government. In 1994, south africas democratic government implemented land reform to rectify these past racial injustices, to correct skewed land ownership patterns and to. For all the talk we have about land reform in south africa, very little money is made available. This note addresses south africas history, the development of south africas land problem, and the implementation of south africas land reform program. Land reform in south africa is sinking nelson mandela foundation.
Farm incubator and training hubs to capacitate youngbeginner farmers in south africa 1. He can be contacted at the programme for land and agrarian studies, school of government, university of the western cape, private bag x17, bellville, 7535, south africa. Emotions about land reform run high and misinformation abounds. The current status and future of land reform in south africa. First, that a more equitable land distribution is desirable in itself. Mar 29, 2016 land reform tops the list of priorities affecting south african agriculture, given the current policy environment in which the sector operates. Since 2008, africa attracted numerous foreign investors. Land reform in south africa, zimbabwe, namibia, and mozambique is quite distinctive in some ways, and typical in others. Broader issues of land reform, including redistribution, are beyond. Communal land, property rights and traditional leadership.
Cape where he is conducting research on land tenure reform, traditional authorities and local government. Emerging investment treaty impacts on land reform in southern africa. Can we speak about effective land reform in south africa. Pocket guide to south africa 201617 government communication. Twenty two years after the transition to democracy and the commencement of land reform, there is a great deal of lived experience to. Progress and challenges article pdf available in ssrn electronic journal november 2012 with 14,289 reads how we measure reads. This paper provides an overview of land reform in south africa from 1994 to 2011. In those land transactions where government acquired land on behalf of black farmers, it was crucially important that title deeds be transferred to the beneficiaries. The governments land reform programme is made up of the following principal components. Even so, land reform remains an issue in namibia and the process does experience problems.
Naturally, land reform was held to be a cornerstone of the transformation process with. The book represents the first comprehensive overview of land reform issues and challenges in south africa. Radical reform that might transform property relations and restructure the agricultural sector has been severely circumscribed in south africa by a negotiated. Land reform in south africa 275 the development facilitation act, 67 of 1995. Following the elections of 1999, a new minister for agriculture and land affairs. Dr pieter mulder has courted great controversy with comments that black south africans have no historical claim to land in the northern and western cape and also that blacks own a greater share of the countrys land than the government admits. South africas land reform in historical perspective. The scenarios building process was convened and supported by the vumelana advisory fund, which contracted reos partners to manage the process. Making land available allows family units to grow crops and support livestock, which results in a more continuous flow of food to households, as well as potential cash income for the purchase of other necessary. But only 50% around 200 000 hectares of the land invested in has been harnessed for production. Progress to date1 edward lahiff2 introduction and background this paper provides an overview of land reform in south africa since the advent of democratic government in 1994, with a particular emphasis on land redistribution. Land reform in south africa is the promise of land restitution to empower farm workers who now have the opportunity to become farmers and reduce inequality.
Land settlement and agriculture in mopani district, limpopo, 19th century to 2015 michelle hay a thesis submitted to the faculty of humanities, university of the witwatersrand, johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy. Land reform in south africa open knowledge repository. Now 16 years into democracy, landless people hope that government under the leadership of president jacob zuma, and. He said that land reform in south africa is critically important in its own right. The topic i was asked to address, as indicated by the title, is restricted to a discussion of land tenure, property regimes and traditional leadership in communal areas. His comments come against claims that whites owned 87 percent of south africas land and that little progress has been made in. It made a direct impact on agricultural productivity. It is somewhat muted in rural struggles and hence its statedriven character, with zimbabwe as a partial exception.
Land ownership and land reform in south africa ngo pulse. This chapter investigates the paradox of land reform programme and its quest to address challenges faced by the rural population in postapartheid south africa. Reform projects to date have on the one hand, typically emphasized whole farm projects which are costly and complex, associated. Land as part of the cost of typical land reform project, south africa 34. Apr 07, 2015 even so, land reform remains an issue in namibia and the process does experience problems.
South africa, as an emerging democracy with a well known history of conquest and dispossession of land in the colonial and apartheid eras, has embarked on a systematic land reform programme in. Ultimately, this note concludes that, even in the context of zimbabwes similar land crisis, south africa s land reform program will prove to be successful in the years to come. We cant expect the process to continue, without any real funding, he said. Dr john purchase, ceo of the agricultural business chamber, agbiz, examines current and planned developments in land reform. A pilot land reform programme was designed lund, 1996 following more or less the guidelines of the marketassisted. The challenge of poverty is a disturbing reality in south africa. This analysis looks at zakarias description of south africas land politics quoting his words. It also relates to restitution in the form of settling land claims of people who were. The natives land act of 19 engineered the poverty of black. It limited african land ownership to native reserves, with communal land tenure administered by traditional leaders. As a result the land reform process in south africa has largely adopted the ideology and guidelines outlined earlier. Whereas his excellency the president of south africa, mr cyril matamela ramaphosa, appointed the expert advisory panel on land reform and agriculture on 18 september 2018 comprising. This note addresses south africa s history, the development of south africa s land problem, and the implementation of south africa s land reform program. With the end of the apartheid regime in south africa in 1994, the newly elected government introduced a programme of land reform.
Introduction what is going wrong in south africas postapartheid land reform programme, and how can its failings be addressed. The programme gathered momentum so that by june 1998 almost 250,000 people, in. Communal land, property rights and traditional leadership current context what is at stake. Land reform in south africa was established by the government with the view that redistribution of farmland would make a significant contribution to poverty alleviation. Land reform tops the list of priorities affecting south african agriculture, given the current policy environment in which the sector operates. Land reform in south africa is there a right and a wrong. Ultimately, this note concludes that, even in the context of zimbabwes similar land crisis, south africas land reform program will prove to be successful in the years to come. It is easy, at events like this, to roll out a wish list of what land reform should achieve and who it. Dec 06, 2016 in 1994, south africas democratic government implemented land reform to rectify these past racial injustices, to correct skewed land ownership patterns and to alleviate poverty. Land available for use by africans was increased by 5% in 1936 fn5 bringing the total to % of the total area of south africa, although much of the land remained in the ownership of the state through the south african development trust supposedly held in trust for the african people. What is going wrong in south africas postapartheid land reform programme, and how can its failings be addressed.
The focus of this publication is primarily on land restitution whereby rights to ancestral land are restored be it by a claimdriven process or a land acquisition process as an important element of land reform, although some comments will be made to land reform in general. The three key elements of south africas comprehensive land reform. The historical context of land reform in south africa and. Inadequate and inappropriate planning, and lack of meaningful consultation with beneficiaries, gives rise to negative community dynamics, a.
South africas land tenure reform programme in the former. Finding a way forward for land reform in south africa. The land act of 19 formalised the land dispossession of black south africans. South africas land reform programme, adopted by the african national congress anc led government in 1994, has a long way to go in redressing the historical injustice of land dispossession, denial of access to land and forced removals. We are pleased that we were able to host such an event. Land policy in south africa makes a strong claim that land reform can decrease poverty levels and improve food security in rural areas. Land reform is necessary in south africa, but that is about the only issue regarding land reform on which there is consensus.
When we start unpacking why land reform is necessary, some people say it is because the majority of south africans were disenfranchised and disempowered through years of colonial conquest, segregation and apartheid. It begins with a brief sketch of the historical background before outlining the main. Land reform is about more than just land article anna majavu jan 2020 on paper, the bino family of kowa formerly elliot, eastern cape, are a land reform success story. Land reform in south africa konradadenauerstiftung. The connections between these issues throughout history have not only had an affect on the contemporary state of the country itself but also on south africa in a global context. Land reform in south africa getting back on track may 2008 cde executive summary this is an executive summary of cde research no 16, land reform in south africa.