Land reform has potential to unite SA

TO GIVE sincerity to the saying “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity” as enshrined in the constitution, the government needs to put in more effort to achieve meaningful land reform. The much-awaited Land Audit report by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform reveals that black people, who are in the majority, own less land compared with other races. Land forms a critical part of belonging and can be used to unite all South Africans. However, based on the report, much needs to be done to influence the fair redistribution of land across all races. The report reveals that blacks own less land at only 4%, Indians 5%, coloureds 15% and whites 72%. The report further states that South African individuals own 92% of the total farms and agricultural holdings while 2% is owned by foreign individuals. Another 2% of land is under co-ownership and 4% is owned by other categories of individuals. Individual males own 72% of the total farms and agricultural holdings followed by females at 13%. These statistics highlight that it is critical for the government to quickly implement land expropriation without compensation to speed up land redistribution.

Another modality in addressing this issue, as indicated by the report, is the establishment of a Land Administration Commission (LAC) to address the challenges highlighted.

The LAC will have a mandate to develop land information management policies that are in line with the government’s programme of action.

The LAC will further set and monitor technical standards, especially for data capturing, including field surveys, data processing and data exchange and make recommendations for improving the efficiency of all land administration processes in the light of the changing circumstances. Soshanguve