Land reform in south africa 275 the development facilitation act, 67 of 1995. So says the south african property owners association sapoa, whose members comprise 90 percent of the commercial property sector in south africa neil gopal sapoa chief executive officer says south africa needs a robust and balanced debate around land reform. The final sections of the paper briefly discuss some new policy proposals and the key challenges facing land reform in the country. As opposed to being traditionally pessimistic south africa has shown it is a different country not a traditional african country, like zim or any. Land ownership in south africa has long been a source of conflict. Agreements were based on requests from the government to support components of the national land reform programme already laid down in the initial policy document of the rdp 1994 and the white paper on south african land policy dla, 1997. The progress of land reform in south africa 1994 2008. South africas land reform challenges market news, news. Twenty two years after the transition to democracy and the commencement of land reform, there is a great deal of lived experience to. Introduction what is going wrong in south africas postapartheid land reform programme, and how can its failings be addressed.
South africas land reform in historical perspective. 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. The article explains how and why this hinders the process of land reform and. The preapartheid chapter of this dissertation briefly touches upon the main historical events that influenced and shaped the agrarian structure of the country that the anc inherited in 1994. Pdf the historical context of land reform in south africa and. As a result the land reform process in south africa has largely adopted the ideology and guidelines outlined earlier. More focus will be placed on the latter era, since it is credited with formally. The fact that only percent of land in south africa is owned by black people must be addressed, he points out. This note addresses south africas history, the development of south africas land problem, and the implementation of south africas land reform program.
The scenarios were developed by 40 people who approach land reform from widely differing perspectives. The current status and future of land reform in south africa. Although the law was replaced by a policy of land restitution when the african national congress anc government came to power more than 19. 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. Vote in parliament moves land reform closer moneyweb. Land ownership and land reform in south africa ngo pulse. 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. Donors did not set the agenda for land reform in south africa. Land reform is necessary in south africa, but that is about the only issue regarding land reform on which there is consensus. After 22 years, land reform has barely altered the. President donald trump touched off a diplomatic row with south africa by repeating an erroneous broadcast about land reform there. The focus of the paper is the land redistribution program, but it touches briefly on restitution and tenure. Dr john purchase, ceo of the agricultural business chamber, agbiz, examines current and planned developments in land reform.
Earlier on wednesday minister in the presidency jeff radebe said the land reform issue is to be resolved urgently if south africa is to have peace. Government will at all times act in the best interest of our nation. Land reform tops the list of priorities affecting south african agriculture, given the current policy environment in which the sector operates. Quite a lot has been written about general history of south.
Zimbabwe, on one side of the spectrum, is facing a crisis in democratisation due to its radical approach to land reform. It found that land reform households had not used or had underused labour, suggesting significant. 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. 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. This will be achieved through dividing the south african land reform policy into two historical epochs. Sa could model its land reform on the success achieved in. Solving africas land issues to boost productivity, alleviate poverty and eradicate hunger.
The paper argues that the pace of land redistribution in south africa is static, and therefore limits the livelihood choices of most intended beneficiaries of the land reform programme. This is an executive summary of cde research no 16, land reform in south. 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. The restitution of land rights act restitution act1 was passed in 1994 at the advent of democratic rule in south africa. Why south africas land reform agenda is stuck south. Officials also note that 11 000 new smallholder farmers have been established since 2009, out of a target of 50 000. In south africa, only a handful of studies have examined the impact of land reform on food security and poverty. Currently, a clause in section 25 of south africas constitution is designed to protect south african citizens from having land taken away from them without pay. 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. Its history of conquest and dispossession, of forced removals and a racially skewed distribution, has left it with a complex and difficult legacy. 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. It is a precondition for the success of governments growth, employment and redistribution strategy.
It also relates to restitution in the form of settling land claims of people who were forcefully removed from. There are a number of examples of successes, but unfortunately also failures. The south korean case may, to a certain extent, offer some valuable lessons for south africa. Economic empowerment discourse within the south african land reform policy. It is believed to allow previously unemployed people to participate in the economy and better the countrys economic growth. 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. 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. Anc reaches resolution on land reform dec 20 2017 21. The primacy of the programme within rural development ought to be measured and assessed through ways. Land reform in south africa is sinking nelson mandela foundation. 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. Diagnostic report on land reform in south africa commissioned report for high level panel on the assessment of key legislation and the acceleration of fundamental change, an initiative of the parliament of south africa institute for poverty, land and agrarian studies university of the western cape september 2016.
The historical context of land reform in south africa and. A survey carried out in 1999 concluded that 80% of landreform beneficiaries expected to plant crops, although only 22% actually did. Post settlement challenges for land reform beneficiaries. Published in south africas government gazette this week, is a new bill that makes provision for. South africa has been plagued with issues concerning land, poverty and inequality for decades. Progress and challenges article pdf available in ssrn electronic journal november 2012 with 14,289 reads how we measure reads. The newlyelected south african government began in 1994 to make laws and implement a programme for land reform. Pdf the need for the current land reform programme arose from the racially discriminatory laws and practices which were in place for the largest part. Diagnostic report on land reform in south africa parliament of. Even so, land reform remains an issue in namibia and the process does experience problems.
South koreas successful land reform became the foundation for their next fiveyear development plans. At the same time, government has taken firm control of the matter, to discourage and prevent a. As a result, a threepart, legalistic, demanddriven, marketbased i. The governments land reform programme is made up of the following principal components. This paper provides an overview of land reform in south africa from 1994 to 2011. Less than one in 20 land reform beneficiaries have benefited from either comprehensive agricultural support programme casp grants or microagricultural finance institutions of south africa mafisa loans. Human needs, land reform and the south african constitution. South africa suffered a long history of colonization, racial domination and land dispossession. The goals of land tenure reform include the establishment of coownership rights for groups and communities living in the. Acknowledgement that land reform in south africa is necessary, even though a complex and emotive subject. The end of apartheid found a high proportion of the south african population residing in rural or semirural areas, but functionally dependent on the urban. The extent of dispossession of the indigenous people of south africa by european colonists, mainly dutch and british settlers, was greater than any other country in africa, and persisted. The 1994 pledge by the african national congress anc to transfer 30% of whiteowned agricultural land to black farmers has.
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. Pdf after independence, south africa embarked on a land reform programme that is meant to redress the highly inequitable land ownership. 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. In south africa much of the theoretical research documented in van zyl et al. The south african constitution is selfdefeating with regard to land reform because it conceives of the goals and means of land reform in the same conceptual language as is currently used to secure the private ownership of landthe language of inalienable rights. 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. This theoretical paper seeks to make a significant contribution to the south african land reform discourses. Now 16 years into democracy, landless people hope that government under the leadership of president jacob zuma, and rural development and land reform. In 1992, the world bank initiated a report on the agricultural sector in south africa. According to the goals of the south african government with regard to. Smallholder agriculture and land reform in south africa. The programme gathered momentum so that by june 1998 almost. Africa of south africa land reform and agriculture and. In each of these countries the process of land reform is incomplete.
We hope it will stimulate interest in the fulllength report, in which the issues and recommendations briefly described here are discussed in depth. 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. South africas land tenure reform programme in the former. What has gone wrong in south africas land reform programme, and how can its failings be addressed. In the philippines nonmarket policies are being supported by. The scenarios building process was convened and supported by the vumelana advisory fund, which contracted reos partners to manage the process. Land reform in south africa is a moral, social and economic imperative. 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. In south africa, the conflict is structured under the term of land reform, a slogan that refers to the changes in territory distribution, aiming to make up for the harm caused by apartheid. The presidential advisory panel on land reform and agriculture v. Land reform is probably one of the most difficult domestic policy issues to be dealt with by zimbabwe, namibia, south africa and australia. What is going wrong in south africas postapartheid land reform programme, and how can its failings be addressed.
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