South africa s ruling anc aims to change the constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation to address racial disparities in land ownership that persist more than two decades. There is a common belief in south africa that the natives land act of 19 shoved blacks on reserves 7 percent of the land and prohibited them from buying land in white areas. By 2015, black south africans owned 52% of the value of houses in sa, while whites owned about 35%, with coloured and indian ownership making up the difference. This paper provides an overview of land reform in south africa from 1994 to 2011. The failure of land reform is attributed to an inappropriate logic of land reform 2, which we link to differences in how land is understood, giving rise to application of inappropriate theory for the context 3, 4. The outstanding 7 701 605 ha or 6% is unregistered trust state land in the eastern cape and limpopo at 5 545 156 ha. The claim that 40 000 white families own 80% of the land in south africa has been widely circulated since andile mngxitama, an mp and commissar for land and agrarian revolution with the economic freedom fighters eff, raised the issue in an open letter to business tycoon richard branson in. The natives land act of 19 engineered the poverty of. Introduction twenty years have passed since the homelands were reintegrated into a unitary south africa, yet the legacy of the colonial and apartheid past continues to haunt these areas. Truth about the history of land ownership in south africa.
Why land seizure is back in news in south africa bloomberg. Communal land tenure 19942017 michael clark and nolundi luwaya 1. Psm 8 basic principles of property law in sa 4 of 50 module content 1 introduction 1. Land ownership patterns and income inequality in southern. The current status and future of land reform in south africa. This paper can be downloaded in pdf format from ielrcs website at. South african property owners association and south african institute of black property practitioners. South africa land seizures begin, economic decline accelerates. South africa is suddenly facing a roadblock after u. South africa peru venezuela nicaragua2 0 2 4 6 8 0. The gini coefficient for land compares the lorenz curve of the land distribution to a line of perfect equality. Swaziland was and still is included in the south african customs area. Land tenure reform is a program designed to change the legal and institu.
The land audit reveals the relationship of south africans to one another through the management of land as a resource for sustainable development and nationbuilding. I included information from others who have put even more study into the subject and if you want i recommend you listen to. June 2016 download pdf more than two decades after the end of apartheid, land remains an emotive fault line in south africa. Published by the south african institute of race relations irr. South africa south africa growth of the colonial economy. The challenge of transformation and redistribution at the victoria and alfred waterfront in cape town. The myth of private ownership and land rights development in. President donald trump asked secretary of state mike pompeo to study the land and farm.
Government policies over the years have tried to solve this problem in different ways. I gather, because it did not provide a doityourself manual for agrarian. The general household survey 2018, released on tuesday by statistics sa, found that 35. Despite over two decades of intervention, land reform in south africa is failing 1. Only 16 percent of the total land of the countries studied in subsaharan africa is owned or controlled by indigenous peoples and local communities, compared with 18 percent globally. In addition, the acres of land owned by black south africans expanded from 6 000 to 8 000 acres to 238 473 acres of land in natal by 1905 maylam 1989.
Mission station select committee colonial government land access. Land reform tops the list of priorities affecting south african agriculture, given the current policy environment in which the sector operates. The focus of the paper is the land redistribution program, but it touches briefly on restitution and tenure reform programs. Background this paper provides an overview of land reform in south africa since the advent of democratic government in 1994, with a particular emphasis on land redistribution. Many in rural communities have lost patience with the paternalistic approach of traditional leaders, commercial farmers and mining corporations. 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. Throughout subsaharan africa, land is a fundamental issue for economic development, food security and poverty reduction1. Rich 1993 english speaking intellectuals and south african politics. His comments come against claims that whites owned 87 percent of south africa s land and that little progress has been made in changing this picture. South africa growth of the colonial economy britannica. Just try to put some of these numbers into perspective.
This is the share of south africans who now own property. Since 2008, africa attracted numerous foreign investors. Communal land tenure 19942017 parliament of south africa. In south african history there has always been the fight for ownership of land and the need for cheap labour. Charles back is a sixtytwoyearold thirdgeneration white farmer. Changes in property ownership in south africa have been nothing short of dramatic in the last two decades and is one of the biggest success stories, but is never brought to the fore, economist mike schussler told fin24. Trekboers, who were weakly controlled by the dutch east india company, advanced across the semidesert karoo of the central cape and collided with african agricultural peoples along a line running from the lower vaal and middle orange river. The truth about land and home ownership in south africa. Fairview wines are sold at most upscale liquor stores in south africa. Fairview, in paarl, where he grew up, is the best known. Later in 1880, land purchased by black south africans was more widely reported.
South africa, officially the republic of south africa rsa, is the southernmost country in africa. At the start of the twentieth century, in 1910, the whole of south africa was united under one government. Land ownership and land reform in south africa ngo pulse. The paper begins with a brief sketch of the historical background, before. In this scenario therefore, discrimination related to women land ownership must be. Vote in south africas parliament moves land reform closer. At first, a single portion of land was identified for the development. To this end, land ownership and its productive use by black south africans expanded. Despite more than 20 years of anc rule whites still own most of south africa s land.
Land rights and land conflicts in africa carried out for the danish. South africa took a step on tuesday to hasten the transfer of land from white to black owners when parliament backed a motion seeking to change the constitution to allow land expropriation without. Thus, resolutions, proclamations and ordinances played a key role in legitimizing systematic land dispossession and segregating south africa. Ghana is bordered by the countries of burkina faso, cote divoire, and togo, as well as the atlantic ocean and gulf of guinea.
Farmers interest group agrisa on wednesday released its own land audit. While issues and discussions around land ownership have become dominant in the public domain, not many people have access to information on land ownership by race, nationality and gender. Women play a crucial role in agriculture, providing 80 to 90 percent of the labour in subsistence production and over 70 percent in cash crop production. It shows that 114 223 276 ha or 94% of 121 924 881 ha land in the country is registered in the deeds office. That whites forcibly removed blacks to these reserves and that these reserves were on the worst land in the country with no mineral riches and that whites kept all the best land and minerals for. The figures should be treated with caution, but, unlike government, at least its trying. Key emerging policy issues in south africas land reform 179. Land is of crucial importance to the economies and societies of the region, contributing a major share of gdp and employment in most countries, and constituting the main livelihood basis for a large portion of the population. 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. Discourses of land use, land access and land rights at. From 1770 to 1870 the region became more fully integrated into the world capitalist economy. All 19 countries studied in subsaharan africa have enacted laws to enable the recognition of community ownership or control of land. Dr john purchase, ceo of the agricultural business chamber, agbiz, examines current and planned developments in land reform.
Land, law and traditional leadership in south africa. Communal land rights bill in south africa, community level registration in ivory. 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. The highly dualistic farm structure of south africa and the low productivity of native african farmers have been the result of systematic distortions in land allocation, output markets, the provision of infrastructure, agricultural credit, and services. The first of the socalled land acts was the black land act 27 of 19 which provided for the areas where occupation was restricted to black persons only. Under the rule of european colonists, south africa s natives land act of 19 stripped most black people of their right to own property, a policy reinforced. South africa confronts a legacy of apartheid the atlantic. Ghana latitude, longitude, absolute and relative locations. After the end of the south african war, the british and afrikaners began working on establishing the union of south africa, which was accomplished in may 1910. But only 50% around 200 000 hectares of the land invested in has been harnessed for production. Land, labour and apartheid south african history online.
Addressing shortcomings of land tenure reform in customary. It explores how gender inequalities, in terms of land ownership and rights. The african national congress anc, which has ruled south africa since the fall of apartheid, has long promised reforms to redress racial disparities in land ownership. Introduction the skewed distribution of land ownership along racial lines within the countries of southern africa is well known. Land ownership in south africa the struggle continues. Why south africas govt plans to strip land from white farmers. Why land reform is a key issue in the upcoming election. This land would be recognised as inalienable black land. I believe i have done that with this history of land in south africa. The country is situated between both the eastern and western hemispheres.
The truth about black vs white land and home ownership in sa. This is particularly true for south africa, where the racial policies of apartheid and agricultural policies aimed. In reality, 10 546 320 morgen 9 033 250 ha of land was defined in the four provinces the socalled scheduled territories. In fact, 90% of all africa s land is still completely undocumented.
Table 20 shows that south african and foreign nationals own a total of 11 395 ha sectional title units in the country. The truth about land ownership in south africa a total of 17,439 million ha have been transferred from white ownership since 1994, which is equal to 21% of the 82,759 million ha. The roots of personal income inequality in southern africa are closely associated with its settlercolonial history of land dispossession andracially discriminatory socioeconomic policies and income. With over 58 million people, it is the worlds 24thmost populous nation and covers an area of 1,221,037 kilometres 758,717 mi. Ghana is located in western africa, and lies above the equator in the northern hemisphere. The question of land is a burning topic in south africa right now. Land distribution is measured using the gini coefficient.
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