Land Redistribution in South Africa : A Critical Review
Edward Lahiff
The policy approach taken towards land reform by the government of South Africa since 1994 has been largely market-based and achievements have has fallen far short of expectations. This paper provides a review of the main elements of policy over a twenty-year period (1994-2014) with an emphasis on land redistribution. It traces the trajectories of debates around land acquisition, support services to new farmers and tenure security and examines the prospects for a small-farmer path to development, which could enable the millions of households residing in the communal areas and on commercial farms to expand their own production and accumulate farming experience, wealth and resources in an incremental manner. Making this happen would require radical restructuring of existing farm units to create family-size farms, more realistic farm planning, appropriate support from a much-reformed state agricultural service, and a much greater role for beneficiaries in the design and implementation of their own projects. It concludes that much more will be required for land reform program to contribute significantly to economic growth and to the redistribution of wealth and opportunities to the majority of the population.
Event: Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty 2015
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