Set aside these myths about land reform and let the healing begin
From food security to social stability and even the rural bias, we have to unpack claims about land
● We have another opportunity to address the land question in the spirit of the political settlement that ushered in our democratic dispensation.
The negotiators agreed that land, minerals and water were national resources to be held in trust by the state. The government is finally rising to its responsibilities to vigorously pursue land restitution and redress the inequities that continue to impoverish and humiliate millions of people.
Land is inevitably an emotive issue. It is tied to the sense of being and belonging that is at the core of being human. There is a Xhosa expression that links all newborn babies to the land of their birth: Inkaba yakho iphi na? (Where was your umbilical cord buried?) Land ownership is a matter of human dignity and wellbeing of citizens, far beyond food security and other material benefits.
Myths are increasingly being peddled as facts. The first myth is that there is low demand for land ownership among black people. This is based on a questionnaire that gave respondents a choice between “more land restitution” (supported by only 2.2%) and “jobs and education”, which received 78.3% support.
This is a problematic choice to pose to any individual, especially those battling with survival in the midst of poverty. Why can’t the promotion of jobs and better education be part of more land restitution within a well-planned development process?
The second myth is that food security can only be guaranteed by traditional commercial farmers, who are predominantly white. Local and global examples of well-executed land reform with adequate financial and expert support show how broadening the base of food production promotes more food security.
I grew up in rural Limpopo, where the food security of large areas was guaranteed by subsistence farming. Both my grandfathers were members of landowning communities that were large-scale farmers who sold surplus crops to the market on an annual basis.
The threat to food security is not land ownership by black people, but the neglect of rural development and infrastructure to enable sustainable small-scale farming.
Many of the failed land restitution cases are due to lack of financial and expert support. For example, the Kranspoort community, at the foot of the Soutpansberg in Limpopo, had their land restored in 1995. This is a rich piece of land with mountain spring water, capable of producing citrus fruit, vegetables and livestock. It has rich wildlife, including a large concentration of leopards. The community is yet to receive the development funding or infrastructure funding it was promised, despite a fundable business plan having been submitted.
Individual black farmers across the country are also struggling to survive due to a lack of working capital.
The CEO of the Land Bank, TP Nchocho, describes the configuration of the Land Bank’s R39-billion loan book as “not good to say the least”, with only R2.5-billion dedicated to black-owned or blackempowered investments and the R36.5-billion balance directed mostly towards white farmers.
The third myth is that social stability is possible without redressing the inequities of our ugly past.
The devastating impact of conquest and dispossession of indigenous people left many landless. Apartheid’s forced removals added to the destruction of the asset base of many more indigenous people. Denial of these facts simply adds insult to injury.
The fourth myth is that land restitution is mainly a rural and farming matter. Cape Town, the seat of parliament, exemplifies the cruelty of the failure to redress the spatial geography of apartheid cities. Reimagining our cities is hamstrung by the lack of a national spatial plan due to the lack of political will at all levels of government to tackle land reform.
The premier of the Western Cape recently indicated the difficulty of accessing strategically situated land formerly used as a military base, Wingfield. This land is said to belong to the Graaffs Trust, and is an ideal case for expropriation in the national interest so that a mixed residential area can be established to ensure that poor people can live closer to the economic hub of the metro.
There are many more trusts, owned by the richest families in our country, holding land that needs to be released to help heal our cities.
We need to admit that communities who were forcibly removed under apartheid and flung to the peripheries of cities live today with frightening levels of social instability.
Serious crimes are experienced mainly in lowincome areas and townships. The highest violence, assault and property crime rate is experienced on the Cape Flats, where gang violence is claiming many lives. Areas such as Nyanga, Mfuleni, Khayelitsha and Gugulethu remain the most dangerous places, according to murder and serious crime statistics.
Levels of substance abuse are recognised globally as indicators of social instability. Recently available studies show that nyaope, a mix of some scheduled drugs and antiretroviral medication, has become dramatically popular in South Africa’s townships. Studies also put the rate of alcohol use among South Africans at nearly 40%.
We need to urgently invest in healthier environments for young people to grow up in, so they can be exposed to rich stimulation and possibilities of futures they can shape. Restoring the dignity of home and family life is inextricably linked to land use.
The leadership approach of the parliamentary parties that came together to put the land question on the national agenda should encourage us to deal with this long-delayed matter. The willingness of the president of Agri SA, Dan Kriek, to work with the government to develop a collaborative approach to land restitution and reform is exemplary. Each one of us needs to commit to working together to heal our land. We can no longer delay healing our nation as we committed in the preamble of our constitution.
Restoring the land as a source of pride and wellbeing for all citizens is what will bring a sense of belonging to all, and sustainable social stability to our nation. Enabling all those willing to work the land to do so is the only way we can guarantee food security and equitable access to jobs in both urban and rural areas, and thereby restore human dignity.