Land reform was derailed by lack of political will by ANC, not the constitution

As a black South African woman born in the 50s I fully understand our long history of violent and legislative dispossession of land.

The effect of land dispossession was to destroy the wealth creation potential of black families, and to leave most black South Africans with a feeling of hopelessness and despair.

Therefore, the DA is completely committed to redressing the history of violent land dispossession and the social and economic legacy. The DA will not support expropriation of land without compensation or the amendment of section 25 of the constitution to facilitate this. Section 25 does not stop the state from pursuing effective land restitution and reform.

The fact is that land reform programmes under the ANC since 1994 have been compromised by widescale corruption, inefficiency, chronic underfunding, and bad policy.

In Western Cape we have championed the share equity scheme, which allows beneficiaries to become partners in the farms where they live and work. This is why more than 60% of land reform projects in Western Cape actually work, compared with a 90% failure rate in the rest of SA. Clearly what is needed to ensure land reform is political will and not a constitutional change.

Thandeka Mbabama MP and DA’s shadow minister for rural development and land reform