The Pace of Land Reform in South Africa by Lance Greyling
2006-01-05. It goes without saying that land is an extremely emotive issue in South Africa. As a party that is committed to bridging the divides in our country, the Independent Democrats maintain that addressing the inherited land inequalities in South Africa is crucial towards creating a stable and prosperous nation.
Unfortunately, as these hearings
indicated, the pace of land reform has been far too slow and we need to
find ways of improving it to address the very real concerns held by our
people. In doing this we also need to recognize the changes that our
agricultural sector has undergone over the last ten years. We have
moved from a highly protected and subsidized agricultural sector to one
of the least protected in the world, which in the face of huge
agricultural subsidies in the north have made farming a very risky
profession. ID believes that greater priority must be given to
agriculture in South Africa and that more financial and technical
resources must directed towards it. This is particularly the case for
small scale agriculture, which if nothing else could be a very
effective poverty alleviation strategy and provide a sustainable
livelihood for many rural people who are enduring grinding
poverty.
There are many constraints on the current land reform approach adopted by the state which will make it difficult to reach the 30% target by 2015. ID would argue that we need a more proactive strategy towards land reform which is not just driven by market supply but through a systematic assessment of all land needs in a particular area. In doing this we need to build trust between all the different stakeholders involved, so that the optimum solution, not just for individuals, but society as a whole is obtained. There are successful examples where previous landowners have assisted land reform beneficiaries in turning the land into productive farming units. We need to learn from these examples and wherever possible replicate them. The ultimate challenge for land reform is to not only transfer land, but ensure the land generates wealth for the beneficiaries and society as a whole. To do this the level of post settlement support needs to be drastically improved.
The Freedom Charter says that “The state shall help the peasants with implements, seed, tractors and dams to save the soil and assist the tillers.” I know of many rural communities who don’t receive a fraction of that support and it is time for us to prioritise their needs. Only with the right political will, financial resources and partnerships built on trust can we hope to turn what is potentially a divisive issue into a source of strength for our country.
There are many constraints on the current land reform approach adopted by the state which will make it difficult to reach the 30% target by 2015. ID would argue that we need a more proactive strategy towards land reform which is not just driven by market supply but through a systematic assessment of all land needs in a particular area. In doing this we need to build trust between all the different stakeholders involved, so that the optimum solution, not just for individuals, but society as a whole is obtained. There are successful examples where previous landowners have assisted land reform beneficiaries in turning the land into productive farming units. We need to learn from these examples and wherever possible replicate them. The ultimate challenge for land reform is to not only transfer land, but ensure the land generates wealth for the beneficiaries and society as a whole. To do this the level of post settlement support needs to be drastically improved.
The Freedom Charter says that “The state shall help the peasants with implements, seed, tractors and dams to save the soil and assist the tillers.” I know of many rural communities who don’t receive a fraction of that support and it is time for us to prioritise their needs. Only with the right political will, financial resources and partnerships built on trust can we hope to turn what is potentially a divisive issue into a source of strength for our country.
