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. The natives land act of 19 engineered the poverty of. Progress to date1 edward lahiff2 introduction and 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. Communal land tenure 19942017 parliament of south africa. South african property owners association and south african institute of black.
Truth about the history of land ownership in south africa. A land dispossession history 1600s1990s cleaning fruit by hand anyone who travels over the vast expanse of south africa is immediately struck by the great variations in its landscape and the differing contexts and conditions under which black rural people live. Inequality in postapartheid south africa wikipedia. 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. The partners in this initiative ads, landbouweekblad and agri sa deem it of critical importance that. Despite a rising gdp, indices for poverty, unemployment, income inequality, life expectancy, land ownership, have declined due to the increase in population.
The purpose and scope of the proposed tenure reform in the former homelands of south africa are described, as well as the attempts by south africas neighbours. Foreword by the deputy minister5 foreword by the director. In 1956, the freedom charter 1 drove the liberation movement agenda and proclaimed. Perceptions regarding land reform debate, progress made and challenges encountered in. Land reform tops the list of priorities affecting south african agriculture, given the current policy environment in which the sector operates. Dr john purchase, ceo of the agricultural business chamber, agbiz, examines current and planned developments in land reform.
The issue was exacerbated during the dispossession programme given effect by. If the 49 million hectares of the western cape and northern cape are subtracted from the total that blacks are entitled, to then their share of ownership would rise even further. Land audit report your worldwide south african community. South africa can now be used constructively in redistribution matters, tenure reform, administration and in a variety of. Land ownership and land reform in south africa ngo pulse. Rethinking land value in south african cities for social and spatial integration by. Locating spatial transformation in the urban land question by nomalanga mkhize 2. Land land reform claim for restitution of rights in land dispossession meaning of subdivision of land through. This view should be approached with circumspection, since the socioeconomic and cultural environment in which a particular legal system. The question of land is a burning topic in south africa right now. The truth about land and home ownership in south africa. You can by property as a natural person, a company, a corporation or as a trust. Current status of permission to occupy rural, unsurveyed land. The recent uproar in south africa over the claims by anc president jacob zuma that the 19 land act dispossessed blacks is a blatant lie, and forms part of four core lies about south african history, a new observer correspondent yochanan has.
This can be an opportunity or a difficulty, depending on how tenure reform is perceived to affect the interests of those with power and influence. All these pressures emanate from the past inequitable land distribution and ownership, spatial mismatch in land management, and the past unsustainable land use practices. However, it must be noted that the right is still hindered in terms of section 253 of the kwazulu land affairs act 111 of 1992 kwazulu the land act the rights are subject to revocation by the. This paper is an analysis of papers, reports and legislation that deals with land reform in south africa. Why land reform is a key issue in south african elections. This demonstrates the importance of land dispossession in creating a racially and spatially divided south africa. In reality, 10 546 320 morgen 9 033 250 ha of land was defined in the four provinces the socalled scheduled territories. The history of spatial planning and land use in south africa by paul hendler 3. The general household survey 2018, released on tuesday by statistics sa, found that 35. However, any of these figures would push the figure for black land ownership to between 40 percent and 50 percent of south africa s surface area. 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. To this end, land ownership and its productive use by black south africans expanded. Wj du plessis, african indigenous land rights in a private ownership paradigm, per, 2011, volume 14, no. The report states that 114m ha of 122m ha of land in south africa is.
It begins with a brief sketch of the historical background before outlining the main. Restrictions of land ownership on a racial basis shall be ended, and all. Land tenure and rural livelihoods in southern africa overseas. The current land ownership and land development patterns in south africa strongly reflect the political and economic conditions of apartheid legacy rsa, 2011. This is the share of south africans who now own property. Section 256 of the south african constitution provides that. South africa s historical background places the land. The states ownership of the economy starts, but by no means ends, with land.
If the 49 million hectares of the western cape and northern cape are subtracted from the total that blacks are entitled, to then their share of ownership. Land ownership patterns and income inequality in southern. According to statistics south africa 2001 in 2001, 43% of the population of south africa 21 million people was living in a rural area. 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 south africa, the question of land is a sensitive and emotive one, and has been since the earliest days of colonialism. The act abolished individual land ownership by black people. Who will be hit hardest by land redistribution without. 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. Impact of land ownership on farmers livelihoods in limpopo. The pto therefore appears to all but confer full ownership on the holder. Land rights and land conflicts in africa carried out for the danish. According to a 2017 land audit by the south african government, 72 percent of the countrys arable land remains in the hands of whites, who account for fewer than 10 percent of the total. Communal land, property rights and traditional leadership. Chapter 6 land department of environmental affairs. Later in 1880, land purchased by black south africans was more widely reported. Pdf the historical context of land reform in south africa and. Discussion of ownership, particularly of land, stirs up all sorts of emotions in.
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. 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. The 4 different types of property ownership in south africa. 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. Table 1 shows that a total of 7 309 243 land parcels and a total of 114 223 276 ha or 94% of sa land in the deeds office has a total of 9 057 890 owners in the country. Land audit department of rural development and land reform. 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. Ten years ago ownership in south africa called to mind something different.
Tenure reform often confers formal recognition on established occupants andor resource users. 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 michael clark and nolundi luwaya land and accountability research centre larc june 2017. In some rural areas communal land is administered by traditional chiefs but this is still largely outside of the deeds registries system and. A land dispossession history 1600s1990s south african. The restrictive grants that the state has made available for women to purchase land have resulted in the perpetuation of white, male ownership and beneficiation patterns in this country weinberg 20. Various lobbies of traditional leaders including the inkatha freedom party and the congress of traditional leaders of south african contralesa claim that title to the land in. According to knobel et al 2011 the modern law of property in south africa and the concept of ownership, are derived directly from roman law and still bear many similarities to it. Theories of land reform and their impact on land reform. In this scenario therefore, discrimination related to women land ownership must be. 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. Restriction of land ownership on a racial basis shall be. Pdf after independence, south africa embarked on a land reform programme that is meant to redress the highly inequitable land ownership. Land is not only a controversial issue in certain parts of the continent, such as south africa, where land expropriation is a hot topic. It is believed to allow previously unemployed people to participate in the economy and better the countrys economic growth.
A total of 6839 985 ervens or 94% of total land parcels has a total of 8 469 845 or 93% owners at an average of 0. They show that the apartheid state designed a land restitution process that was concerned with a privileged group of black and white property owners. The current status and future of land reform in south africa. Over large areas, the state is the legal owner of communal land. Yes, it is permitted and is the normal form of ownership of real estate in most of south africa. This land would be recognised as inalienable black land. 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. Without clear and secure land tenure rights land redistribution beneficiaries struggle to get production. 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.
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