One of the earliest challenges faced by the first democratically elected governme. Land reform in south africa needs to be addressed, but it shouldnt come at the cost of food security or by breaking up economically efficient enterprises. 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. Ben cousins what has gone wrong in south africas land reform programme, and how can its failings be addressed. Three case studies from limpopo province tshililo justice manenzhe mphil minithesis land and agrarian studies this thesis presents a study of postsettlement experiences of land reform beneficiaries, with a focus on three case studies from limpopo province, south africa. In each of these countries the process of land reform is incomplete. Agriculture and rural development discussion paper 37 land administration reform. There have been problems and controversies with both policy and implementation of the land. It is believed to allow previously unemployed people to participate in the economy and better the countrys economic growth. This paper presents a brief overview of the key challenges facing land reform in the country today and suggests a number of ways in which the current reform programme can be accelerated to fight poverty and inequality. It also brings facts on the urgent need for land reform, and challenges hampering progress on. We, of course, recognise the volatility of the circumstances surrounding land reform.
This green paper represents the latest development in. Implementing these reforms would enable africa to make use of its land resources to attract investments and achieve higher returns, which will lead to more growth and less poverty in the region. 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. In order to drive conversations on land reform in south africa, vumelana recently hosted the second of a series of roundtable discussions.
South africas land reform efforts lack a focus on struggling farmers. The challenge of poverty is a disturbing reality in south africa. The need for land reform south africa suffered a long history of colonization, racial domination and land dispossession that. Restrictions of land ownership on a racial basis shall be ended, and all. The progress of land reform in south africa 1994 2008. These are not predictions of what will happen or recommendations about what should happen. South africas land reform challenges 06 sep 20 land reform in south africa needs to be addressed, but it shouldnt come at the cost of food security or by breaking up economically efficient enterprises. It is against this last concern that a debate about the place of land reform in poverty alleviation takes place. South africas land reform in historical perspective. This note addresses south africas history, the development of south africas land problem, and the implementation of south africas land reform program. The historical context of land reform in south africa and.
Among the list of problems associated with the south african land reform the. Dec 06, 2012 the failure of land reform in south africa by iqra qalam and joshua lumet 6 december 2012 almost two decades after the end of apartheid in south africa, the failure of the agrarian reform policies. South africas land reform programme is based on both equity and. May 03, 2012 perspectives on south africas land reform debate. An ipcc special report on climate change, desertification, land.
African customary law is upheld by the south african constitution section 2. The current status and future of land reform in south africa. We hope it will stimulate interest in the fulllength report, in which the issues and recommendations briefly described here are discussed in depth. Achieving sustainable land reform through partnerships. The first part tries to understand the case for redistributive land reforms. According to statistics south africa 2001 in 2001, 43% of the population of south africa 21 million people was living in a rural area. 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. Challenges in land tenure and land reform in africa. Officials also note that 11 000 new smallholder farmers have been established since 2009, out of a target of 50 000.
South africas land reform efforts lack a focus on struggling. Women, culture and africas land reform agenda ncbi. Nepal germany, andy reisinger new zealand, debra c. Dec 14, 2016 the challenges posed by land reform in south africa are complex and could potentially pose a threat to food security and political stability in the country if solutions benefiting all south africans cannot be found. The governments land reform programme is made up of the following principal components.
The goals of land tenure reform include the establishment of coownership rights for groups and communities living in the. What does the future hold for south africas land reform program. 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. South africas land reform programme has suffered many failures and its beneficiaries have in many. South africas land tenure reform programme in the former. The natives land act of 19 engineered the poverty of black. However, the process of land reforms faced many challenges since implementation, which called for newly streamlined plans to be rolled. Here, land reform is understood to include the related concepts of land redistribution. It begins with a brief sketch of the historical background before outlining the main. Foreign technical assistance was therefore not a condition attached to donor funding. The failure of land reform in south africa world socialist. Emotions about land reform run high and misinformation abounds. 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. 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.
Land reform is generally defined as relating to the modification of laws, regulations or customs, on the subject of land ownership. The programme gathered momentum so that by june 1998 almost. Finding a way forward for land reform in south africa. It usually encompasses allocations of land ownerships or rights. The natives land act of 19 engineered the poverty of. Postapartheid south africa faces a variety of challenges that emanated from the injustices caused by apartheid. Introduction what is going wrong in south africas postapartheid land reform programme, and how can its failings be addressed. It is easy, at events like this, to roll out a wish list of what land reform should achieve and who it. In the case of the land reform pilot programme and the land reform support. Land reform in south africa is in trouble can it be saved. Mar 29, 2016 land reform tops the list of priorities affecting south african agriculture, given the current policy environment in which the sector operates. According to statistics south africa, in 2014 whites made up 8. Introduction the latest green paper on land reform2 was published on 16 september 2011 and is commonly referred to as the green paper on land reform, 2011. Aug 15, 20 english news and press release on south africa.
Key emerging policy issues in south africas land reform 179. 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. After 1994, policy focused on restitution, land tenure reform and land redistribution, which sought to return more land to disadvantaged black farmers the economist, 2014. In 1956, the freedom charter 1 drove the liberation movement agenda and proclaimed. The department in due course commissioned a manual that set out how.
It is a precondition for the success of governments growth, employment and redistribution strategy. Theories of land reform and their impact on land reform. This analysis looks at zakarias description of south africas land politics quoting his words. The challenges of transformation and redistribution cherryl walker human sciences research council harold wolpe memorial trust conference cape town, 25 27 march 2004. The failure of land reform in south africa by iqra qalam and joshua lumet 6 december 2012 almost two decades after the end of apartheid in south africa, the. We are pleased that we were able to host such an event. Land reform tops the list of priorities affecting south african agriculture, given the current policy environment in which the sector operates. The bulk of technical assistance has been sourced in south africa with funds provided by the donors. Land reform in south africa 275 the development facilitation act, 67 of 1995. Nevertheless, the book provides a solid basis for a critical understanding of the spectrum of issues from a range of perspectives. Human needs, land reform and the south african constitution lawrence hamilton abstract this paper argues that the poor delivery on land reform in post apartheid south africa is best explained through a close analysis of the form. Nigeria and south africa have started their way through land reforms and below are lessons learned from each. Submission for the 201718 chapter 4 77 division of revenue 201718 par 2 3 3.
It highlights how the apartheid policies and systems have led to imbalance and racial allocation of land. 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. In investigating the systemic challenges affecting the land restitution process in south africa, the commission convened a hearing in terms of section 91c of the human rights commission act, 54 of 1994 hrc act. 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. Post settlement challenges for land reform beneficiaries. A pilot land reform programme was designed lund, 1996 following more or less the guidelines of the marketassisted. Why south africas land reform agenda is stuck south africa. The challenges posed by land reform in south africa are complex and could potentially pose a threat to food security and political stability in the country if. As a result the land reform process in south africa has largely adopted the ideology and guidelines outlined earlier. Even so, land reform remains an issue in namibia and the process does experience problems. This monograph brings together views and opinions on land reform challenges in south africa. 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. In southern africa and particularly south africa, debate rages about the notion that land reform itself is sufficient to redress a past history of inequity and a current, postapartheid situation of rising poverty. Indicators of success and future challenges tony burns. Discussing the issues at the heart of the land question in south africa, this reference focuses on how to reverse the dispossessed land of the indigenous peoples and how a largescale redistribution of land can contribute to the transformation of the economy and the reduction of poverty, both rural, and urban. The programme gathered momentum so that by june 1998 almost 250,000 people, in 279 projects, had received land. Zimbabwe, on one side of the spectrum, is facing a crisis in democratisation due to its radical approach to land reform. Four scenarios for land reform in south africa contains four scenarios about what could happen in the context of land reform in south africa by 2030. Report of the sahrc investigative hearing monitoring and. As recent events at bredell and elsewhere have demonstrated, land and landlessness remain critical issues in postapartheid south africa. Current estimates indicate that around 80 per cent of south african agricultural land remains in the hands of approximately 35,000 white farmers and large agribusinesses. A comparative overview of experiences in zimbabwe, namibia, south africa and australia.
Banerjee massachusetts institute of technology abstract the paper is in two parts. Commissioned report on agrarian reform ufh parliament of. 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. Why south africas land reform agenda is stuck south. Human rights commission commission or sahrc on the systemic challenges affecting the land restitution process in south africa. In southern africa and particularly south africa, debate rages about the notion that land reform itself is sufficient to redress a past history of inequity and a. 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. By ben cousins 29 june 2016 what has gone wrong in south africas land reform programme, and how can its failings be. Diagnostic report on land reform in south africa parliament of. 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. However, the region is facing serious environmental challenges such as land degradation, deforestation and water stress in specific areas.
Land reform is probably one of the most difficult domestic policy issues to be dealt with by zimbabwe, namibia, south africa and australia. The preapartheid chapter of this dissertation briefly touches upon the main historical events that influenced and shaped the agrarian structure of. Officials also note that 11 000 new smallholder farmers have. Human needs, land reform and the south african constitution. 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. Perceptions regarding land reform debate, progress made and challenges encountered in.
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