Although urban land is part of the dilemma, the main focus is on reforming agricultural land. While South Africans fear a repetition of Zimbabwe’s failed populist land reform, the reality is that the land reform process in South Africa is seriously lagging, following many failed land reform programs since 1994.
Excessive bureaucracy, especially partisan politics and systemic political corruption, further slows down the process. The struggling South African economy, with its unemployment rate of 29% and growing fears of food insecurity, also plays a role. The South African Institute of Race Relations has a valid point, saying that land reform could potentially ‘kick the legs out from under agriculture’ if great care is not taken.
An outlook of land reform
Land reform in South Africa consists of three elements, namely:
• Restitution of land rights: The restoration of land rights lost through the direct enforcement of apartheid laws.
• Land redistribution: Ownership of land according to the transformation principle of representativity.
• Land tenure: Policies that seek to strengthen the property rights of those who already occupy communal and commercial land under various relatively insecure forms of tenure.
During the 2018/19 financial year government intended to settle 1 151 land claims at a cost of R2 billion while prioritizing post-settlement support on restituted farms to the value of R700 million. To date, the government has settled 80 664 claims benefiting 2,1 million beneficiaries at the cost of R40 billion, including financial compensation to beneficiaries. Of these claims, 160 463 originated from female-headed households. Furthermore, the government has restored 3,5 million hectares of land that can aid agricultural and economic development.
Radical economic transformation
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