The land question must be resolved to ensure economic sustainability and social cohesion

Many land reform claimant communities found the sluggish pace of the land reform programme last year wearisome.

However, the policy and regulatory milestones that have been reached in the past two years offer a glimmer of hope.

While some sceptics may point to the past failures of the land reform programme as evidence of a lack of political will to expedite the process, it would be wrong to discount the groundwork that has been laid, notwithstanding the disruptions brought by the Covid pandemic.

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Admittedly, the lethargic pace of land reform, coupled with the “capture” of this process by political elites, in some instances, and the reported widespread failure of some communities to render the claimant land productive, has added to the aggravation and growing frustration.

Following the national elective conference in December 2022, the ANC has adopted several resolutions regarding the land reform programme.

Government acknowledges capacity issues

The conference confirmed that the government acknowledges the capacity issues of the Land Bank and it resolved that the bank’s capacity needs to be strengthened to enable it to deliver on its mandate.

Furthermore, it was acknowledged that there is a need to accelerate the implementation of the new Expropriation Act, which is at an advanced stage in the legislative process.

Of significance, the conference emphasised that the process of bringing underutilised land into production should be sped up and that the new Land Reform and Agricultural Development Agency should be speedily implemented.

It was also acknowledged that there is a need to address access to water use rights for rural communities and to develop strategies to increase the productivity of land in communal areas.

In addition, it was proposed that a Land Redistribution Bill be initiated to facilitate equitable access to land.

The ANC also committed to setting out clear legislative criteria for beneficiaries in respect of land to be distributed by the state. This will target all persons working on the land, such as farm workers, farm dwellers and aspirant small-scale and commercial farmers.

Although these resolutions are necessary, there is still a big gap between resolution and implementation. Timelines for achieving these resolutions, as well as addressing other challenges identified in the past, must be clearly outlined to drive a successful land reform programme.

‘Set up for failure’

The reality, 28 years on, is that the current state of the land reform programme has left many communities feeling they are set up for failure. They are unable to access finance and markets, they have no clear water usage rights and they lack technical expertise. If implemented effectively, the proposed changes could make a real difference in South Africa’s land reform.

Work still needs to be done

During the ANC elective conference, President Cyril Ramaphosa conceded that, although the ruling party has made some strides to restore the land to communities forcibly dispossessed through policies of the past regime, much work still needs to be done.

He said government has managed to transfer over four million hectares through restitution and over five million hectares through redistribution, accounting for nearly 11% of commercial farmland. “This is far below the initial target of 30% by 2014,” the president told delegates at the conference.

The challenges that beset the land reform programme are not new. They have been highlighted in several reports such as the Motlanthe High Level Panel, whose recommendations are yet to be implemented.

Lack of post-settlement support to successful claimant communities is a barrier that the Vumelana Advisory Fund has highlighted as one of the key impediments to successful land reform. It is for this reason that we have facilitated partnerships between claimant communities and private sector investors, to close this gap.

The land question is an important political and economic imperative that has to be resolved to ensure stability, economic sustainability and social cohesion.

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-Setou is chief executive of Vumelana Advisory Fund