More than two decades after the end of apartheid in south africa, the unequal distribution of land remains. A pilot land reform programme was designed lund, 1996 following more or less the guidelines of the marketassisted. Land audit report your worldwide south african community. It is a precondition for the success of governments growth, employment and redistribution strategy. Pdf land reform in south africa ben cousins academia. The concept of land reform has varied over time according to the range of functions which land.
The natives land act of 19 engineered the poverty of. Whereas the present institution of labour tenancy in south africa is the result of racially discriminatory laws and practices which have led to the systematic breach of human rights and denial of access to land. Land reform in south africa is sinking nelson mandela foundation. The first land to be confiscated by the europeans in south africa was part of what later became known as the western cape.
According to statistics south africa 2001 in 2001, 43% of the population of south africa 21 million people was living in a rural area. 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. 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. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the land reform.
The newlyelected south african government began in 1994 to make laws and implement a programme for land reform. This paper provides an overview of land reform in south africa from 1994 to 2011. 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 financial times and its journalism are subject to a selfregulation regime under the ft editorial code of practice. A gendered analysis of land reform policy and implementation. Washington, july 22, 20 africa is home to nearly half of the worlds usable uncultivated land, some 202 million hectares that can be brought under the plow. His comments come against claims that whites owned 87 percent of south africa s land and that little progress has been made in. Land redistribution in south africa parliament of south. Land and agriculture in south africa today 11 public policy on land reform 18 the politics of land in south africa 31 part 2. Land reform also agrarian reform, though that can have a broader meaning involves the changing of laws, regulations or customs regarding land ownership. 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.
The department of land affairs dla is responsible for restoring land to those unjustly deprived of land rights. The historical context of land reform in south africa and. The conquest of the land of the african people by europeans in south africa. Land redistribution in south africa parliament of south africa. Because of south africa s past, where the majority were forced onto only 10% of the land under apartheid and the incredibly delayed process of reparations over the last 25 years the question of land reform is a moral, social and economic imperative, ramaphosa said. This paper is an analysis of papers, reports and legislation that deals with land reform in south africa.
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. Aug 23, 2018 land reform in south africa is a moral, social and economic imperative. A wider national picture 39 the demand for land 42 urbanisation policy 44 housing policy 47 the role of the market and private sector organisations in land reform 52 part 3. It is believed to allow previously unemployed people to participate in the economy and better the countrys economic growth. We are pleased that we were able to host such an event. Redistributive land reform in southern africa overseas. Land reform is probably one of the most difficult domestic policy issues to be. Land redistribution has been a central plank of land policy in zimbabwe, namibia and south africa since their transition to majority rule. The book represents the first comprehensive overview of land reform issues and challenges in south africa. A gendered analysis of land reform policy and implementation outcome in south africa 2006 200809 acknowledgements the commission for gender equality is grateful to the department of rural development and land reform drdlr, the department of agriculture, forestry and fisheries daff and. Communal land, property rights and traditional leadership. Pdf after independence, south africa embarked on a land reform programme that is meant to redress the highly inequitable land ownership.
Land ownership and land reform in south africa ngo pulse. The focus of the paper is the land redistribution program, but it touches briefly on restitution and tenure. The legislation governing land redistribution is the provision of certain land for settlement act 126 of 1993, which provides for the designation of land for settlement purposes and financial assistance to people acquiring land for settlement support. 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. President donald trump touched off a diplomatic row with south africa by repeating an erroneous broadcast about land reform there. It is distinctive in its focus on breaking up large and productive farms. With this state of land information report we seek to provide an overview of existing data and information on key land issues. A 10point plan to accelerate orderly land reform in south africa. Land reform in south africa is a moral, social and economic imperative. Land ownership and land reform in south africa tuesday, 6 march, 2012 15. Land reform has been a crucial topic since the end of apartheid. The analysis shows that land reform in south africa is slow, mainly due to financial, infrastructural and capacity challenges. In this section, we zero in on masvingo province in the central south and east of the country. Introduction what is going wrong in south africas postapartheid land reform programme, and how can its failings be addressed.
Much of this land was previously cattle ranches, with limited. How land reforms have unfolded around the world the africa. As a result the land reform process in south africa has largely adopted the ideology and guidelines outlined earlier. Zimbabwe, on one side of the spectrum, is facing a crisis in democratisation due to its radical approach to land reform. The conversation that never took place article pdf available in qualitative report 236. Officials also note that 11 000 new smallholder farmers have been established since 2009, out of a target of 50 000. The government planned to purchase excess land above this limit and.
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. Land reform may consist of a governmentinitiated or governmentbacked property redistribution, generally of agricultural land. Land reform has to, must take place in south africa. It is somewhat muted in rural struggles and hence its statedriven character, with zimbabwe as a partial exception. Land reform is a deeply political process and therefore many arguments for and against it have emerged. Land reform is probably one of the most difficult domestic policy issues to be dealt with by zimbabwe, namibia, south africa and australia.
Budgets for land reform have generally been around 1% of the national budget, and have fallen from a peak of 1. The expansion of the land reform programme will be planned within the parameters set by this framework. The native land act of 19 played a key role in the restriction of native people of south africa sa to occupy only % of the countrys land feinberg, 1993, louw, 20. The governments land reform programme is made up of the following principal components. Why land reform is a key issue in south african elections. There is need to show who owns south african land and to track progress of land reform to fulfil section 255 of the constitution objectives to enable south african citizens access to land on equitable racial and gender basis. In 1956, the freedom charter 1 drove the liberation movement agenda and proclaimed. First, in the context of extreme inequality in landholding, particularly in a country with a relatively high rural p. 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. In south africa, tenure reform is a component of a national land reform programme which also embraces the restitution of land, to people dispossessed by racially discriminatory laws or practices, and land redistribution to the poor.
The nature of the land question in south africa is inherently complex. Tenure rights recognition in south african land reform. The presidential advisory panel on land reform and agriculture 23. In each of these countries the process of land reform is incomplete. The ruling african national congress anc, supported, in part, by the economic freedom fighters eff, has openly announced its support of constitutional amendments to accelerate land reform as a. 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 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. Diagnostic report on land reform in south africa parliament of. Perceptions regarding land reform debate, progress made and challenges encountered in. 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.
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. South african churches have also wrestled with the issue of land, to no avail. In southern africa, tenure reform must address a range of problems arising from settler colonisation and. Land reform is necessary in south africa, but that is about the only issue regarding land reform on which there is consensus. These arguments vary tremendously over time and place. The continents poor development record suggests it has not leveraged its abundant agricultural land and natural resources to generate shared and sustained growth. South africa suffered a long history of colonization, racial domination and land dispossession. Land reform is one of the ways in which past racial exclusions and inequalities are being addressed in the new south africa. For many black citizens who feel let down by sustained poverty, inequality and unemployment in the country, the slow pace of land reform is a symbolic focus of frustrations. Following the elections of 1999, a new minister for agriculture and land affairs. With the end of the apartheid regime in south africa in 1994, the newly elected government introduced a programme of land reform. Postapartheid land policies must provide redress for historical injustice at the same time as creating sustainable livelihoods through production, employment creation and equitable forms of growth. Restrictions of land ownership on a racial basis shall be ended, and all. Land reform has proceeded slowly in south africa since the end of apartheid.
It also relates to restitution in the form of settling land claims of people who were. Dec 12, 2019 land reform in south africa, zimbabwe, namibia, and mozambique is quite distinctive in some ways, and typical in others. Land policy proposals south african history online. But in addressing the injustices of the past, we must not use race as a determinant of who must be beneficiaries of our land reform policies. Why land reform is a key issue in the upcoming election. Broader issues of land reform, including redistribution, are beyond. Reforms such as these may be proclaimed by a government, by interested groups, or by revolution. The property clause provides protection for property rights but land reform is defined as in the public interest, thus allowing for expropriation at compensation levels that are. In the south african context, dispossession of land has played and. Who will be hit hardest by land redistribution without.
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. An overview of precolonial land systems the nature of indigenous south african land systems is significant to plans for postapartheid land reform in three respects. 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. Between 1994 and 2011, south africa transferred over 6. What is going wrong in south africas postapartheid land reform programme, and how can its failings be addressed. Land reform in south africa, zimbabwe, namibia, and mozambique is quite distinctive in some ways, and typical in others.
In 2015, president jacob zuma said he was seeking a ban on foreign land ownership, as well as limiting the total area of land holdings to 12,000 hectares per individual of any nationality. For example, in the twentieth century, many land reforms emerged from a particular political ideology, such as communism or socialism. Twenty two years after the transition to democracy and the commencement of land reform, there is a great deal of lived experience to. The three key elements of south africas comprehensive land reform. We hope it will stimulate interest in the fulllength report, in which the issues and recommendations briefly described here are discussed in depth. South africa land portal securing land rights through. Pdf the historical context of land reform in south africa and. This status report looks at the state of land reform over the period 2005 to early 2008, with a particular focus on land redistribution. Land reform can, therefore, refer to transfer of ownership from the more powerful to the. Our aim is to uncover the many different sources of land data and information in south africa and thus provide a basis to substantiate, refute or nuance the oftenrepeated rhetoric that there is a lack of land data. Land reform, a purposive change in the way in which agricultural land is held or owned, the methods of cultivation that are employed, or the relation of agriculture to the rest of the economy. Ta da the primary source of information in this report was obtained from the. Despite this, africa suffers from the highest poverty rate in the world with nearly 47. Government will at all times act in the best interest of our nation.
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