A possible land revolution will only be avoided if white people change their attitude to land reform and transformation is drastically speeded up.
This is according to ANC MP and chairperson of the National Council of Provinces' land committee Peter Moatshe, who was speaking during debate on the department of land affairs' budget.
"Those who have land are unwilling to comply with the sentiments of the Freedom Charter that we shall share this land," he said.
Referring to colonialism, he said: "The white birds that were crossing the sea to South Africa and the continent of Africa... that was the beginning of the threat to land.
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| 'The question of land becomes imperative' |
"It's where it starts. These are facts that cannot be disputed by anybody. The question of land becomes imperative, and that's why we are debating this budget vote today."
Twelve years after democracy there were still great imbalances that could no longer be ignored.
"Where are we standing on the question of land, are we really moving at a speed that will satisfy the masses of this country?" he asked.
Addressing parliament's second chamber, Moatshe said the government was trying to negotiate with white farm owners who were not interested in seeing black farmers being put back on the land. "The land belonged to the people of this country and therefore we made this challenge to those who have the land that they must make up their minds, otherwise it will be too late."
He warned that those who yearned for land were running out of patience.
"Unless we are blind not to read between the lines, the pressure is coming," he said.
But on a conciliatory note, he said the Freedom Charter did not say that those who colonised the land, must go. Rather white and black must share the land.
Moatshe said even the Bible prescribed that the land should go back to the rightful owners after 50 years. This was long overdue in South Africa, given that there had already been more than 100 years of dispossession.
He said if the government wished to achieve the deadline of redistributing 30 percent of land by 2015 to formerly disadvantaged groups, then land reform had to be "considerably accelerated".
But Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Thoko Didiza in her budget speech was more optimistic about the progress made so far.
"The Land Claims Commission has performed remarkably well in the period under review in discharging its constitutional mandate, in spite of the momentous challenges it faces," she said.
She said by December last year the commission had settled 71 645 of the 79 696 land claims lodged. Of the 8 107 remaining, just over 6 975 were rural and 1 132 were urban claims.
"To date a total of just over R6,1-billion has been awarded to beneficiaries who opted for financial compensation, benefiting a total of 986 981 beneficiaries and 194 487 households," she said.
She said another R2,4-billion had been spent by her department purchasing and restoring land to claimants. The Landless People's Movement on Friday, however, was shocked to hear the minister was happy with the progress and agreed with Moatshe that trouble was brewing.
"Land reform is not taking us anywhere," said national organiser Mangaliso Kubheki.
"We are soon going to show our anger - we are not happy with the way things are going," he said.
- This article was originally published on page 4 of Pretoria News on May 20, 2006
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