Any discussion around land reform will remain an emotive one for years to come.
While most analyses of the issue zero in on the abysmal progress the government has made over the last 20 years or so purely in terms of quantity, or value, many other deficiencies in the processes are given less attention.
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A recent press report highlighted the first: black farmers in Limpopo were up in arms for being ‘strong armed’ by officials in the provincial Department of Agriculture to pay up to R250 000 to facilitate the renewal of leases on their farms.
Given the pervasiveness of corruption, many will shrug their shoulders dismissively.
But given the push to transform the farming sector and create large black commercial farmers, this action by the department is beyond the pale.
Then there were reports of beneficiaries of restituted farms in the Western Cape and Mpumalanga being served with summary eviction notices, so that their farms could be given to politically connected individuals.
The recent AG’s report records claims of over R2bn against the Departments of Land Reform and Rural Development from black farmer evicted by rogue government officials.
It took the intervention of the national minister to put the brakes on this brazen inequity.
Further, examples abound of productive farms being handed over to ill-equipped or favoured beneficiaries that have been stripped of all productive assets, leaving fallow fields and orchards.
What these two examples serve to highlight is that in many ways, the position that the willing buyer, willing seller approach was the major factor contributing to the lack of progress in land reform was nothing but a red herring.
It is clear that internal shenanigans and personal agendas are more of an impediment than existing legislation.
Finally, and possibly the most iniquitous and debilitating to the land reform process, and transformation of the agricultural sector is the willful withholding of title deeds from beneficiaries of restituted or redistributed land.
There are farmers who have farmed their lands for more than 20 years who have not been given title.
Title enhances their financing options and gives them the dignity of ownership,
It is clear that the entire land reform process will benefit dramatically by rooting out the corrupt practices that captured it, and doing some work on aligning the approaches and procedures of the different departments involved to ensure better efficiency and service delivery.
Vijay Naidoo writes in his personal capacity as CEO of the Port Shepstone Business Forum.
The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.
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