Johannesburg - The chief executive of a non-profit organisation that works with land reform beneficiaries, the Vumelana Advisory Fund, Peter Setou, said there should be a major overhaul of the land management information and systems as well as timely support interventions at a point when the land is transferred, to ensure its productive use.
He said there is a pressing need to bring resolution to the nearly 7 000 land claims that are still outstanding, as noted by the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights, and the government needs to embark on an initiative aimed at identifying and distributing farms to young black individuals with aspirations of becoming commercial farmers.
A statement by the NPO details that, nearly three decades after the first democratic elections in 1994, the government has spent more than R56 billion towards buying land for restitution efforts, according to the ministry’s replies to questions in Parliament.
“This year, the Treasury further allocated an additional R12.5bn for the Land Restitution Programme and land reform.
“Arguably, the inadequacy of the land reform programme has not been due to financial constraints, as billions of funds have been allocated to it. Instead, the failure of policy implementation and provision of post-settlement support has been the primary cause,” read the statement.
Setou said that moving into the next decade, the discourse must shift towards identifying impactful measures for land redistribution, restitution, and tenure reform.
“Through this process, the government can effectively integrate and maintain economic progress while promoting a more inclusive society,” said Setou.
The NPO further highlighted that land reform beneficiaries have the potential to drive rural development by utilising agricultural farms and supporting eco-tourism opportunities within restored land as vehicles of job creation, economic growth, and wealth creation.
“The success of the land reform programme will hinge on how effectively the government can assist previously disadvantaged communities, including small-scale farmers, in transitioning to commercial farming. Furthermore, it will be determined by the government’s ability to provide adequate support for post-settlement activities for beneficiaries of land reform across the different projects in farming, eco-tourism, and conservation, among others, and ensuring that the millions of hectares of land that have been redistributed to date are put to productive use,” Setou said.
He further emphasised the significance of identifying and addressing challenges faced by community property associations (CPAs) and the need to provide them with the required support, as well as the need to promote partnerships with the private sector, as this is a quicker way through which the current challenges can be addressed in the short to medium term.
“These measures are crucial for economic development, and if rolled out at scale, would play a significant role in boosting productivity of restituted land in the next decade,” the NPO pointed out.
“The land reform programme should not merely be a process of distribution and redistribution of land, but should be supported through greater access to finance, infrastructure, and markets for emerging farmers and small-scale producers,” said Setou.
The Star