As South Africa commemorates the 66th anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre on March 21, it is fitting that we should critically examine the progress that has been made to redress the issue of land dispossession. We need to identify the bottlenecks that are slowing the process and implement corrective measures to accelerate the success of the land reform programme.
More than three decades after democracy, land reform remains one of South Africa’s most complex and politically polarising subjects.
It is important to project a balanced view when one talks about land reform. While there are a number of challenges, there are milestones that the programme has reached since its implementation.
Most urban claims were dealt with expeditiously through cash payouts, although criticism has been levelled that little attention was paid to how such monies were spent to bring meaningful positive change.
Some claims have resulted in significant benefits for the beneficiaries, as exemplified in a series of successful programmes piloted by the Vumelana Advisory Fund over the last 14 years, which have proven that collaboration with the private sector is cardinal. Since its inception, Vumelana has supported 26 community projects, attracting in excess of R1-billion in private investments and putting 72 000 hectares into productive use. These interventions have positively affected more than 16 000 households, demonstrating that land reform can be successful.
Policy formulation and good intentions alone do not translate into a successful land reform programme. We need to clear the restrictions and unlock the latent potential of the land reform programme.
Expanding irrigated agriculture can go a long way towards enhancing job creation in rural areas. There is evidence that the current 1.5-million hectares under irrigation can be expanded by 500 000 hectares through efficient use of existing water resources. Stable rural electrification and improvements to infrastructure, such as roads, are other areas requiring attention.
Providing claimant communities with post-settlement support can also not be overemphasised. There is ample evidence that land transfer on its own will not transform the lives of claimants. Post-settlement support includes interventions such as access to finance and markets, skills development and transfer, clear water usage rights, etc.
Good governance must also be in place. This is key in building public trust and social cohesion within communities. Communities and prospective investors have to know that restored assets are managed ethically and in a transparent manner.
We further need to urgently provide tenure security to communal farmers and investigate better ways of financing land reform, including ensuring that new farmers are not saddled with unsustainable debt.
Without all these important ingredients, it is difficult to see how rural economies and land reform can be strengthened to drive meaningful economic and social change. There is legislation and policy to address some of the bottlenecks holding back the advancement of the land reform programme, however, the efficacy of these interventions has been marred by several factors, which were identified by a number of studies and reports, such as the Motlanthe Report.
It is, however, sad that challenges identified nine years ago in this report have still not been addressed. We must address these challenges immediately.
Looking ahead, if we are to achieve sustainable land reform, the government should provide funding support to players who have an impeccable track record. We need to harness the private sector and support partnerships between them and land reform beneficiaries.
These partnerships must be independently facilitated to ensure objectivity and credibility.
The government should fund entities that have been involved in and have a track record in facilitating partnerships.
The success in land reform must be measured on how these restored land parcels have benefited our people through jobs, skills and economic inclusion.
We are, unfortunately, miles away from achieving this.
- Setou is chief executive of the Vumelana Advisory Fund, a non-profit organisation that works with land reform beneficiaries to help them put their land into productive use
