Land reform an agricultural revolution
REDISTRIBUTING land equitably should include establishing a special national land reform fund, which South Africans can contribute to, and using common municipal land to increase agricultural production.
These were some of the ideas proposed at the ANC Western Cape Land Summit in Stellenbosch at the weekend.
Dr Wallace Mgodi, who served on the land reform commission between 1998 and 2003, said prioritising farmed land for expropriation without compensation, and mentors to empower the people to use land productively, profitably and sustainably, is needed.
“The ANC’s goals are to use land as a tool for both economic development and land redistribution. Land reform is to drive an agricultural revolution, giving as many people a stake in the land. Our goals include using all types of state land, private and communal land and give farm dwellers and workers a bigger economic stake in rural areas,” he said. He said a fund for land reform is needed. “We need to think of establishing a national land reform fund where South Africans can contribute. We also need to ensure that we deal with land water in a holistic way to bring about justice and equity.
“Historically, municipal commonages have been used to lift large numbers of white farmers out of poverty from the 1800s. Commonage land is state land,even today these commonages can be used to sustain the use of land.”
“It is time to act and deliver like never before,” Mgodi said.
Ronald Lamola, ANC NEC member said land expropriation without compensation will be a mixed scheme including private land ownership, allaying fears that private bonded homes will also be expropriated.
“There will be a mixture of ownership. Our economy is structured on a mixed open system which means that the government cannot own all the land on its own. Title deeds will still be given to ensure there is private ownership of land and these title deeds will also give security of tenure. In the past about 87% of our people have been excluded from owning land. That figure is now at 72% which we are tackling. We have moved away from restitution and moved over to redistribution. If we continue with restitution, there would very little progress,” he said.
Lamola said the constitution remains a proper transformation document.
He said Parliament’s Joint Constitutional Review Committee hearings being held around the country were to get input on gaps in existing law.
“What is needed is that the issue of land expropriation needs to be properly spelt out. We need to provide clarity,” Lamola said.
Economic Opportunities MEC Alan Winde said that in the Western Cape the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform only has enough funding to buy three farms in the province in the 2018/19 year.
“Land Redistribution is a national government competency, which it conducts under the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (Plas), and related policy. Land ownership for beneficiaries is expressly not allowed under this ANC policy, meaning leasing from government is the only way the ANC currently ‘redistributes’ land. I firmly believe that land reform beneficiaries should own their land outright….”