South Africa P.I.G.: FARMS

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Warning bells for South Africa

Earlier this week SAIRR's new Unit for Risk Analysis described the proposed nationalisation of agricultural land in South Africa as a potentially cataclysmic event for South Africa’s economy. <a href="http://www.sairr.org.za/press-office/press-releases/press-statement-unit-for-risk-analysis-warns-on-land-reform-proposal-15th-march-2010">See Press Statement: Unit for Risk Analysis warns on land reform proposal - 15th March 2010</a> <div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0SXV96xsPv3fceVHhyPtg9DFMHViGXTQ9zmqgGof5Wym-u5nOZpqYz2bv0FqFLFI4Mm-PiUJAy0KIl-fw3M18vM3yClNnOXrHI-ZF7NoBLTn3ea469wYi9FLTbeIaRpDM_4Hyx94GRVQy/s1600/ANC_LANDGRABS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 1em; FLOAT: left; CLEAR: left; MARGIN-RIGHT: 1em; cssfloat: left"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0SXV96xsPv3fceVHhyPtg9DFMHViGXTQ9zmqgGof5Wym-u5nOZpqYz2bv0FqFLFI4Mm-PiUJAy0KIl-fw3M18vM3yClNnOXrHI-ZF7NoBLTn3ea469wYi9FLTbeIaRpDM_4Hyx94GRVQy/s320/ANC_LANDGRABS.jpg" wt="true" /></a>The Government has subsequently denied any intention to nationalise private property. We have reason to doubt their assurances and warn again that the nationalisation of agricultural land is now a published government proposal, that it follows a trend that saw the nationalisation of both mineral and water rights, and that it follows previous efforts to introduce far reaching expropriation legislation. The likelihood of the Government adopting this policy proposal is therefore something that South Africa’s domestic and foreign investors should be very aware of. The Government and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform have responded to our warnings by saying that there is no plan to nationalise South Africa’s farms. The Government has further stated that it respects private property rights and that this will not change. We have little confidence in these assurances and believe them to be an effort to mislead the public and the media. In part, this is because the Government’s assurances are so obviously contrary to their own written and published plan. While various government officials in the last 48 hours have said that the plan does not talk about “nationalisation”, it does talk about private owners ceding control of their land to the State which will then lease that land back to the farmers. The Government’s proposal also identifies the need to alter Section 25 of the Constitution which deals with and guarantees private property rights. A second reason to doubt the Government’s assurances is that this latest policy proposal appears to follow an established trend of the State seizing control of what it regards as important ‘national assets.’ In 2002 through the Minerals and Petroleum Development Act, the Government took custodianship of all mineral rights in the country thereby ending private ownership. Mining companies had to re-apply for those rights in order to continue mining. This legislative step did significant harm to the mining industry in the country and to investor sentiment, particularly in the mining sector. Similarly, the Government took control of all water resources in the country through the National Water Act of 1998. The previous distinction between public and privately owned water was eliminated, making all water a ‘public asset.’ Water allowances were imposed and the Government handed itself the authority of managing the country’s water resources. What we are now seeing in terms of the Government’s proposed land seizure scheme is therefore a logical progression of government policy that has sought to bring under state control what it regards as important ‘national assets’. The third reason to doubt the Government’s sincerity is that this latest proposal appears to be a continuation of a pattern of thinking that gave rise to the Expropriation Bill of 2008. The Institute published extensively on the bill, which would have given the State the authority to seize any fixed or movable property ‘in the national interest’ without paying compensation. Ahead of the 2009 elections the Government declared that the controversial Bill would be shelved. The Government has recently admitted that 9 out of every ten land reform projects that it has managed have failed. Under these circumstances it is unlikely that this same Government will be able to successfully manage South Africa’s entire commercial farming industry. This is particularly so if they erode the capital value in agricultural land, which is important collateral that farmers have against which to raise loans to run their businesses. We are therefore of the view that if either of the two proposals goes ahead then South Africa will experience a steep reduction in agricultural investment. This will translate into a commensurate fall in agricultural employment which will in turn drive up levels of rural poverty and provide an impetus for greater rural to urban migration. Further we expect that South Africa’s ability to meet its food needs will be undermined. This will see knock-on effects on downstream food processing industries with corresponding falls in employment and investment. Upstream supply industries will see their markets shrink as demand for their products falls. South Africa will be forced to import a greater portion of its food needs, placing pressure on both the current account deficit and on food price inflation. The above repercussions will see more poor rural people flocking to urban areas. The Government’s ability to meet service delivery demands will be compromised even further than it already is. In an environment of escalating protest action against Government on the peripheries of large urban settlements, this will pose a further challenge to the hegemony of the ANC. It is uncertain to what extent the Government and the ANC identifies these risks. Certainly sentiment within the Government and the ANC ignored similar warnings on skills, mining, health, education, security, electricity, and labour market policy for which South Africa paid a heavy price. It is quite possible that the Government may therefore proceed with this scheme only to try and reverse the policy as its negative effects become more apparent. It is also possible that the Government may identify these repercussions but proceed regardless in order to achieve what they may see as the more important end of breaking the back of white commercial agriculture and handing farms to black farmers. On this score the ANC leadership’s recent support for incitements to shoot and kill white Afrikaans farmers is pertinent. Certainly the Government’s attitude to white skills in the civil service suggests that they are willing to sacrifice performance for racial ideology. We must also warn against regarding the second of the two proposals as a lesser of two evils. Destroying the economies of scale that make South Africa’s commercial agriculture sector viable will result in precisely the same consequences as we have spelt out above. Keep in mind that when Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe commenced its land reform programme it also commenced with a proposal of ‘one farmer, one farm’. We therefore warn our readers to take this latest policy proposal seriously, to identify the likely consequences of the proposal, and to prepare for the eventuality of the State going ahead with seizing all or part of South Africa’s agricultural land holdings. We caution strongly against taking Government assurances to the contrary to heart particularly when viewed against the track record of that same Government in nationalising mineral and water rights and in proposing legislation to seize any fixed or movable property without paying compensation. Frans Cronje and Catherine Schulze </div>

Warning bells for South Africa

Earlier this week SAIRR's new Unit for Risk Analysis described the proposed nationalisation of agricultural land in South Africa as a po...

2:13 PM

'It's land reform or land grab'

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6gooDDh1WwOSJLD7uQRr5vLSNzoGxCIFXbIqN0sEP-OhKX4tcBDy_7AkbecSFZnHuhyvEW5Iq6vqEbvPaJ6utZW3l6wRe5jKme7eaEz-UcnUI5Y6k95uB7wMmG47tsbxS_3YR8lYt-4/s1600-h/landsasnewexpropriationbill.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402621135903014162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6gooDDh1WwOSJLD7uQRr5vLSNzoGxCIFXbIqN0sEP-OhKX4tcBDy_7AkbecSFZnHuhyvEW5Iq6vqEbvPaJ6utZW3l6wRe5jKme7eaEz-UcnUI5Y6k95uB7wMmG47tsbxS_3YR8lYt-4/s400/landsasnewexpropriationbill.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 271px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" /></a>South Africans must become obsessed with land reform if they want to avoid urban land grabs and the chaos that has destroyed Zimbabwe, Gugile Nkwinti, the minister of rural development and land reform, warned yesterday. Responding to questions at a news conference in Cape Town, he said the government's plan to transfer 30% of white-owned farmland to blacks by 2014 was just a beginning. "No, 30% is not enough. Thirty percent by 2014 was just to demonstrate progress," Nkwinti said. He confirmed that the deadline was under review "for practical reasons", but warned that failure to create equity in land ownership could destroy the country. "Yes, we are obsessed, actually. People out there, they really talk about justice and redress and, at some point, you can see that this is an area that has a great potential for polarisation in South Africa. "You have seen it happen elsewhere - next door. Our obsession is about obviating that polarisation materialising in South Africa, and all South Africans must be obsessed with that question...about obviating the calamity which would come about with polarisation in this country," he said. Nkwinti said the distribution pattern inherited from white rule was changing as many of the 87% of the people who were restricted to 13% of the land began to move to the cities.

'It's land reform or land grab'

South Africans must become obsessed with land reform if they want to avoid urban land grabs and the chaos that has destroyed Zimbabwe, Gugil...

11:39 AM

700 jobless as once-productive farms lie abandoned

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuLgB4VB710N8dLB5luqxe4C7CR9PnOysAH6TKXugnVusNscxcHmvEjOweqS0qJSHohlm11DXi5yScqqqdtfgeZRX2-nL7cSIgtOwQbOH7VKPA5oacm1GujyKA5S7H7PWU2A_EHNJPfoX/s1600-h/farm-land.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337591429998900514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuLgB4VB710N8dLB5luqxe4C7CR9PnOysAH6TKXugnVusNscxcHmvEjOweqS0qJSHohlm11DXi5yScqqqdtfgeZRX2-nL7cSIgtOwQbOH7VKPA5oacm1GujyKA5S7H7PWU2A_EHNJPfoX/s400/farm-land.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" /></a>Some 700 people have lost their jobs after people who won their land claims in KwaZulu-Natal’s Pongola area failed to use the once-productive farms, the DA said on Tuesday. The situation has angered farmers who now suggest they should be allowed to rent the unused farms while the matter is being addressed. The Democratic Alliance called on the newly-appointed agriculture MEC Lydia Johnson to urgently intervene. "The farms, which now lie abandoned, form part of a battle raging between King Goodwill Zwelithini, land claimants and local farmers," said DA spokesperson on agriculture, Makhosazana Mdlalose. She said the land had been left to lie uncultivated after claimants, who won their claims three years ago, chose not to occupy the farms. Zwelithini's spokesperson Prince Mbonisi Zulu said the matter was being handled by government. He did not want to elaborate. Mdlalose blamed the department of agriculture for failing to help new owners to run their farms. "It is all very well to institute land reform. However, the concept cannot be placed higher on the agenda than that of supporting emerging farmers. "There must be some form of investment in terms of training and resources by the department before the land reform process can truly be hailed a success in our country.” Agriculture spokesperson Khulekani Ntshangase said the department was aware of the problem, saying it was one of their priorities. "We know what the DA is talking about. We have plans in place and we will continue with them. "We had a meeting with the Land Commission where we discussed how to ensure that farms are utilised after they have been transferred to new owners." Mdlalose said she had learnt from farmers in Pongola that up to 700 people had lost their jobs. "The situation has led to an increase in crime, along with a 70 percent drop in trade. It is unacceptable that farms, which until just a few years ago were producing effectively, are now empty," she said.

700 jobless as once-productive farms lie abandoned

Some 700 people have lost their jobs after people who won their land claims in KwaZulu-Natal’s Pongola area failed to use the once-productiv...

10:29 AM

Farmer gunned down in ambush

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN0OEq6JcKNo1qC_2TfvqampWxalpkID5glwQ5RpZNkmuVR0W7F043gGts0V4XYRZTz7pI7Tx6qXHBY0FsD3FHn9tWcAeYc8vV7o6gjRnIw7bA6leJt8qshPXbFpGexjle4ATUpOV6sOzO/s1600-h/Farm%2520murder%2520016_image_lowres.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335819566586931378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN0OEq6JcKNo1qC_2TfvqampWxalpkID5glwQ5RpZNkmuVR0W7F043gGts0V4XYRZTz7pI7Tx6qXHBY0FsD3FHn9tWcAeYc8vV7o6gjRnIw7bA6leJt8qshPXbFpGexjle4ATUpOV6sOzO/s400/Farm%2520murder%2520016_image_lowres.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" /></a>A KwaZulu-Natal midlands commercial farmer was ambushed and killed on Wednesday night, in what is believed to be a land claims dispute related hit, at his farm in Rietvlei. Bloemendal Estate farm owner, Alan Rowe, 58, was attacked by two assailants who had been hiding at a garage in his farm waiting for his return. On his return home from a friend's house at 20:15, shots were fired at his Mazda Drifter bakkie. It is believed that there were two hit-men, one shooting from the left, while the other one hid in the garage and took cover behind a parked bakkie. A 9mm handgun and a Point 22 rifle was used. A friend and neighbour, Gavin Hill who was first to arrive on the scene said he found his friend's jacket abandoned on the grass. "I believe he took off the jacket because it's a bright yellow colour and he thought his attackers would not see him in darker clothing." Unfortunately, his assailants caught up with him and gunned him down. He was shot twice in the chest, and one of the bullets went through his arm. Hill believes Rowe's murder was a "planned hit", but there is no clarity on the real motive. "This was not a robbery gone wrong, it was not a hijacking gone wrong. They chased him, and hunted him down with the intent to kill a farmer." Police spokesperson, Henry Budhram said the killing is linked to land claims disputes but did not give details on the issue. Hill said according to his knowledge there was no land claim dispute about the farm. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKYn2eIvM8jnYEfjkQFAtL-hsk52abmlPSB1bCW21-AEm8I23rn7BuBwWGr-vzZABAyKhH7oAcFxixWVKa7QUjPbuw1M3jREIn7DSyfJgpQWyoLlGBHblmViBLuXFvOr0uPlW-nYFKyBa/s1600-h/Farm_Genocide_figure_02052009.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335796391949446002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKYn2eIvM8jnYEfjkQFAtL-hsk52abmlPSB1bCW21-AEm8I23rn7BuBwWGr-vzZABAyKhH7oAcFxixWVKa7QUjPbuw1M3jREIn7DSyfJgpQWyoLlGBHblmViBLuXFvOr0uPlW-nYFKyBa/s400/Farm_Genocide_figure_02052009.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 220px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 120px" /></a>The slain farmers's brother, Michael, also declined any land claims issues on the farm but said there were plans to sell the farm to a black buyer. The Bloemendal Estate farm is a combined dairy and meat farm, with about 50 beef cattle and 375 milk cows. Rowe visited Hill and his partner Donna Lay on Wednesday at about 18:30. He left Hill's place at 20:30 and at 20:45 a foreman at their farm received a call about the shooting. Hill and Lay rushed to the farm but when they arrived it was too late. "We grabbed the guns and came here, we found the bakkie with its lights on but he was nowhere to be found. We called him and heard his cellphone ringing from the grazing camp." Searching further down, they found his body.

Farmer gunned down in ambush

A KwaZulu-Natal midlands commercial farmer was ambushed and killed on Wednesday night, in what is believed to be a land claims dispute relat...

2:17 PM

Land Minister Seizes Ostrich Farm From Beneficiaries

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4gKO_P7Kn_vgMA482KS3WI67BcPcNkev4p5w0vNueC1o3G2dBOONuI0zQHrIynLEmGiRNG38DMPqiIsvHZNZmWAFJeDMV0ZgQKQBlgPBa2W6mSVZZXIsmYIQnToAeenerHE1p_5QEy8/s1600-h/dead-ostrich.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313573350381483490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4gKO_P7Kn_vgMA482KS3WI67BcPcNkev4p5w0vNueC1o3G2dBOONuI0zQHrIynLEmGiRNG38DMPqiIsvHZNZmWAFJeDMV0ZgQKQBlgPBa2W6mSVZZXIsmYIQnToAeenerHE1p_5QEy8/s320/dead-ostrich.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" /></a> Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana this week put the "use it or lose it" principle to action and seized an ostrich farm from land restitution beneficiaries. She visited the ostrich farm on Wednesday and lamented its deterioration since it was sold to the department in 2007 for R3.5 million and then leased to Phaphamang Ma-Africa for R168,000 per annum. "Of the 77 ostriches originally on the farm, only 57 could be accounted for. Several of the birds were limping and they were in a chronic condition [and] would probably not respond to treatment. "This would consequently result in infertility. None of the birds have bred since 2007," said Xingwana. The previous owner gave the beneficiaries three months of training and donated a bakkie, ostrich feed for two months, a tractor and several other loose assets. "In addition the group received about R70,000 from Metsweding District Municipality to help them start the project," said Xingwana. "It is also important to note that despite all these support systems, it is apparent to me that the beneficiaries are not passionate about farming." She said equipment had been sold, tools were missing and the once viable restaurant had been stripped of all chairs and tables. Xingwana said the department was now working with veterinarians to improve the health of the ostriches who were "not being fed properly". A broad-scale programme was under way to resuscitate the farm. They had started fixing all fencing, removing sharp objects and covering all exposed wires with piping to prevent injury. They were making a list of all the ostriches' ages and sex for each of the camps and to identify bullied birds that need to be herded into another camp. "As a matter of urgency we are looking for workers, preferably those that worked the farm previously to assist in herding the birds." "Those who are not committed to farming must be removed from the allocated farm and be replaced by those who have a passion for farming including agricultural cooperatives," said Xingwana. "I would like to add that our objective is to ensure that 'emerging' farmers do not stay 'emerging' for decades and centuries...

Land Minister Seizes Ostrich Farm From Beneficiaries

Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana this week put the "use it or lose it" principle to action and seized an ostric...

9:33 AM

Billions worth of land given to people in Mpumalanga

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGebdwvyW9viHbgrwJgTIhpu6p07hzT-eWVCnyfNSdAHQ3NV4dxJUHiRl5ANTNlh7shyphenhyphenSNbI6y1o9vKaKc-HlsiQD47fvy3ALUldVtqzrJ8KQXxLtZ5dd_C2DalrX3F38rnCwA2YBbiw/s1600-h/landclaims01.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308740047068078322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGebdwvyW9viHbgrwJgTIhpu6p07hzT-eWVCnyfNSdAHQ3NV4dxJUHiRl5ANTNlh7shyphenhyphenSNbI6y1o9vKaKc-HlsiQD47fvy3ALUldVtqzrJ8KQXxLtZ5dd_C2DalrX3F38rnCwA2YBbiw/s400/landclaims01.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" /></a>Land valued at billions of rands has been given to rural communities in Mpumalanga in the last five years, with over 20 000 beneficiaries, the provincial agriculture and land department said on Monday. "This is 278 137ha of land valued at R2 850 608,933 transferred to 27 865 beneficiaries," it said in a joint statement with the Regional Land Claims Commission-Mpumalanga (RLCC-MP), and the Mpumalanga Provincial Land Reform Office (MPLRO). This follows recent "negative" media reports with particular reference made to the Mpumalanga province. "[We] have come together under one umbrella to bring citizens of Mpumalanga up to speed about the status quo on government's land reform programmes," the statement read. Meanwhile, the MPLRO said it had transferred 345 000ha of land though various programmes since 1996. "The key mandate of the MPLRO remains the redistribution of 30% of white owned agricultural land to previously disadvantaged individuals by 2014 as well as the provision of tenure security." With regards to issues of land rights, the department said Mpumalanga was one of two provinces that had to deal not only with farm-occupier issues, but also 8 885 labour-tenant claims. The province had identified the importance of building strategic partnerships with the private sector in order to increase the sustainability of land reform projects. "To date support has been obtained from many of the commodity sectors and to this end a number of agreements with different agricultural partners have been facilitated." The department said one of the significant post-settlement challenges confronting the province was to ensure that communities maintain productivity of highly productive agricultural land transferred to them. "To acquire the necessary skills and experience while maintaining production on the farm the beneficiary communities forge strategic partnership with an experienced land owner or company," it said. "Through human support to all farms bought by government for restitution and land reform, the department has provided training. Some of the training has been done with Department of Labour." The department also ensured that beneficiaries had access to services such as boreholes for water and veterinary services. "These interventions have assisted local farmers to get into the export industry," it said, adding that it also established a land rights management facility to provide legal assistance to people facing eviction.

Billions worth of land given to people in Mpumalanga

Land valued at billions of rands has been given to rural communities in Mpumalanga in the last five years, with over 20 000 beneficiaries, t...

9:14 AM

Farms collapse as land reform fails in South Africa

Looming crisis: Food production has not kept pace with South Africa’s population growth<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xREMvvSqL2maAPrpG0t1R3AOJqt8ruJhhu4e8-hHDstf8zv_LmkPu84bOGZX7G_-dzWD75vDB2brkR8KFKaTHuEo899DVOdgdLc8mCFIhVw9DVlTQ4pyvCHZ0O9-HDvlxUVDhs7vs3U/s1600-h/bread_food.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308199910983222210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xREMvvSqL2maAPrpG0t1R3AOJqt8ruJhhu4e8-hHDstf8zv_LmkPu84bOGZX7G_-dzWD75vDB2brkR8KFKaTHuEo899DVOdgdLc8mCFIhVw9DVlTQ4pyvCHZ0O9-HDvlxUVDhs7vs3U/s400/bread_food.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 264px" /></a>SA becomes net importer of food as vast tracts of land lie fallow. South Africa’s food security is threatened by its chaotic rural land reform programme. Thousands of once-productive farms, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape lie abandoned & causing serious shortages of staple foods. The country now imports more food than it exports and local production of grain, fruit and vegetables can no longer keep pace with the growing population. Uncertainty about South Africa’s land reform process — the authorities recently extended for the fourth time their deadline to finalise claims — has seen scores of commercial farmers stopping all investments in their properties. Others are leaving for more stable pastures, with many opting for Mozambique’s subtropical fruit and grain industry or stock farming in Botswana. Although there have been success stories in land restitution, the process aimed to improve livelihoods has left scores of communities divided and in debt. A private company appointed by the government as a strategic partner to provide management expertise for newly acquired restitution farms in Limpopo and Mpumalanga has collapsed, leaving beneficiaries owing millions in unpaid debt. This week, the Land Claims Commission said an audit of the struggling projects has been concluded, but failed to provide specifics. But it did say the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs would take the lead in the implementation of a “revival strategy”. The new Land and Agrarian Reform Programme promises to put together support packages, employ project managers, engage strategic partners and landowners, procure investment and redesign farming operations. On a two-week visit to farms around the country, the Sunday Times discovered that: <ul><li>Twenty top crop and dairy farms in the Eastern Cape, bought for R11.6-million and returned to a Kokstad community, are now informal settlements; </li><li>A once-thriving potato farm in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands is now a makeshift soccer field; </li><li>Ten thousand people given back 8000ha of prime fruit and macadamia farms in Limpopo are crippled by R5-million debt; </li><li>A former multimillion-rand tea estate in Magoebaskloof in Limpopo has become an overgrown forest; </li><li>More than five tons of a macadamia nut crop on a reclaimed Limpopo farm was so poor that it was dumped into the Levubu river; and </li><li>A R22-million irrigation system built by the government to supply water to new farmers in KwaZulu-Natal lies unused. </li></ul>A lack of post-settlement support, with almost no monitoring and evaluation on the ground, are cited as the main reasons for the crisis. Ann Bernstein, executive director of the Centre for Development and Enterprise, a policy think-tank, said its research had shown that the economic viability of many rural regions was under serious threat. Some beneficiaries had no interest in farming but just wanted a secure place to stay, she said. “The issue is that at least 50% of land reform projects have failed, and that means for many of the people involved their circumstances have not improved — and for some, have even got worse. And all this is happening in the midst of a rise in food prices,” Bernstein said. AgriSA deputy president Dr Theo de Jager said the organisation was extremely concerned about collapsing farms. He said “too many decision-makers” in each claimant community had made it difficult for commercial farmers to enter into agreed joint partnership ventures or mentoring programmes. Andre Jooste, a senior manager at the National Agricultural Marketing Council, said they had seen a “relatively big increase” in the demand for food in the country. “The main concern with national food security is the fact that, since the early ’90s, the population has grown by 32% while overall agricultural production has only grown by 10%,” Jooste said. “I think the failures we see in land reform was an opportunity missed to increase food supply in the country. Production has not kept up with population increases and that should be a serious concern to all role players.” Food prices increased when there was restricted supply and big demand. Professor Ben Cousins, director of the Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies at the University of the Western Cape, said the land reform process had not succeeded in improving people’s livelihoods. “We’ve been measuring success in the wrong way by putting emphasis on speed in terms of meeting deadlines, which is counterproductive,” he said. Despite a co-ordinated revival plan, acting chief land claims commissioner Andrew Mphela said it was too early to measure performance or to talk of failure. He said that contrary to “popular rhetoric and biased reporting from certain quarters”, projects did not collapse but instead experienced “challenges”. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjpSxM6KLVvI4-eL1llIkYDByjv2nPbU5W_CPqddo0cBfnFnnMGSiR4Od4j-w45JGUfBx2gBv_5hqal1u1KF7jfiOO9BX7IJIuQk88CzUXb5g22mR5F7OHxhAmbdhXhNlxxGWPj7raE4/s1600-h/HomelessNotLandless.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308204742645745938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjpSxM6KLVvI4-eL1llIkYDByjv2nPbU5W_CPqddo0cBfnFnnMGSiR4Od4j-w45JGUfBx2gBv_5hqal1u1KF7jfiOO9BX7IJIuQk88CzUXb5g22mR5F7OHxhAmbdhXhNlxxGWPj7raE4/s400/HomelessNotLandless.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px" /></a>Mphela said most claims were only at an initial planning stage as far as post-settlement support was concerned. He said the government’s policy envisaged a 10-year period for implementation after claims had been concluded. Mphela described the Centre for Development and Enterprise as “self-proclaimed experts” whose claims were “baseless”, “frivolous” and “vexatious, if not outright mischievous”. He said land reform was not a simple process. “There is a human development dimension to it. There is a cultural dimension to it, which is about constructing the human spirit which was destroyed over decades. “It is precisely this culture of labour that was destroyed by apartheid in our people. In fact, it made them hate labour in all its forms because for them it was not voluntary. This aspect of land reform and restructuring of dignity is never understood.”

Farms collapse as land reform fails in South Africa

Looming crisis: Food production has not kept pace with South Africa’s population growth SA becomes net importer of food as vast tracts of la...

11:45 PM

Scores of Zimbabwe farms 'seized'

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBYzkC9mYCWM3eT39F30v8gMrvASQV3JN_XjCyyUNi_b_fN5gickMBdUyC8_GVBYRS3zWpBemW5oRjmyWVzK2gq7bS0vxDpLGomA6RnaUH24tAEZgn-AxNrtIt1A6KVmPHwqPJa1r1Y8/s1600-h/zim-farms-seizure.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306127880995799794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBYzkC9mYCWM3eT39F30v8gMrvASQV3JN_XjCyyUNi_b_fN5gickMBdUyC8_GVBYRS3zWpBemW5oRjmyWVzK2gq7bS0vxDpLGomA6RnaUH24tAEZgn-AxNrtIt1A6KVmPHwqPJa1r1Y8/s400/zim-farms-seizure.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" /></a>Scores of white-owned farms in Zimbabwe have been invaded since the country's national unity government took office, a union chief has told the BBC. Commercial Farmers Union President Trevor Gifford said 77 properties had been occupied in the last fortnight. MPs, police, the military and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe officials had taken part in the invasions, he said. Many of the farmers targeted recently mounted a successful legal challenge to government land reforms, he added. The BBC attempted to contact a number of officials from President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party - including the ministers of agriculture and lands - but no-one was available to comment on the farmers' union claims. Attempts to contact the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), whose leader Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in as prime minister earlier this month, were also unsuccessful. The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Tribunal ruled in November the Zimbabwe government's programme of seizing white-owned property for redistribution to landless black farmers was discriminatory and illegal. The government said at the time that it would not comply with the ruling. 'Ethnic cleansing' The power-sharing deal between Zanu-PF and the MDC was eventually agreed after disputed elections and months of talks, during which the economy slid into a deepening crisis. Mr Gifford told the BBC News website the recent spate of invasions was focused on the provinces of Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West, Masvingo and Midlands. The CFU president blamed the invasions on a minority of figures close to Zanu-PF who were "using their offices to ensure ethnic cleansing can take place before the prime minister is able to stabilise the country". "This is being led by members of the old regime in Zanu-PF who are not willing to see the transition take place to a new unity government," Mr Gifford added. "Zimbabwe is facing a severe food crisis and we're in the midst of the agricultural season so the impact of this will worsen the catastrophe." More than half Zimbabwe's population is in need of food aid and inflation - estimated by some economists at 10 sextillion per cent - has left its currency almost worthless. Mr Gifford said there were about 400 functioning white-owned farms left in Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, Roy Bennett - the MDC's nominee for deputy agricultural minister - faces a bail hearing on Tuesday after he was arrested this month accused of terrorism on charges his supporters say are trumped-up. Source <a class="ArticleTitle" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7906031.stm" id="article-title" target="_blank">Scores of Zimbabwe farms 'seized'</a> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7906031.stm">BBC News </a>

Scores of Zimbabwe farms 'seized'

Scores of white-owned farms in Zimbabwe have been invaded since the country's national unity government took office, a union chief has t...

8:26 AM

Farmers Leaving South Africa

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuymEb1v3ZLNS-Va1KcwSnN1-ed4cWBg5njM1yYEE0F0pYZwctMFfPzhGyVADYGdKpKpy8iJ9FFEvgzin_HQ9REGis6KQCcXAWAz0ovWS7csGRSITgXvGF4LFCX5EbV5bbeC-pKgss3UM/s1600-h/cape-town-wheat-farm.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301303433240367570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuymEb1v3ZLNS-Va1KcwSnN1-ed4cWBg5njM1yYEE0F0pYZwctMFfPzhGyVADYGdKpKpy8iJ9FFEvgzin_HQ9REGis6KQCcXAWAz0ovWS7csGRSITgXvGF4LFCX5EbV5bbeC-pKgss3UM/s320/cape-town-wheat-farm.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 310px" /></a>The number of commercial farmers in South Africa have plummeted from a high of 85,000 in 1994 to 11,600 today. The new numbers, released by South African farmers union Agri-SA, become even more of a shock given the number was approximately 13,500 a few months back. The mostly White, Afrikaaner-Boer farmers find themselves increasingly marginalized in a society that views them as “land barons”, a government that looks to expropriate their land, and “war like conditions” which include a corrupt police force. “The increase in armed attacks, robbery and theft of farm products and implements holds serious financial implications for agriculture in our country. This high crime rate is experienced by the industry as economic sabotage,” said Agri-SA spokesman André Botha. Farmers have been moving to neighboring African countries, whose governments have invited the farmers because of their expertise in producing bountiful crops in the tough African conditions. In addition to the loss of commercial farmers, more than 1 million black African farm workers have become unemployed and have had to move their families to squatter camps. In total, approximately 5 million people have been displaced.

Farmers Leaving South Africa

The number of commercial farmers in South Africa have plummeted from a high of 85,000 in 1994 to 11,600 today. The new numbers, released by ...

2:08 PM

Farms in South Africa KZN lie abandoned

<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269757579856093650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEto2mWtnNIwjAhyEy3T0VBbkeJFK05NCjD1j7JT2TiEgxOay_45d9Lm6K6BK975Mle-XjoILuBjUFaqe11gmE2vNGSqjKnvgKAXYzhqmvo1MgahBuCXu3AXNUMNP32z9xZ5g408lai8/s400/niggletAndVulture.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 262px" /><a href="http://www.thepost.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=739&fArticleId=vn20081117053356664C583317" title="KZN farms lie abandoned">KZN farms lie abandoned</a> 17 November 2008 Millions of rands spent by the government on land reform projects in Zululand have been wasted so far, with many farms handed to farmers since 2004 lying abandoned and derelict. More than 21 properties in the Empangeni and Eshowe districts, and reportedly many more across KZN bought by the land affairs department, lie fallow, producing only weeds, dead trees and choked sugar cane. Amid increased concern about food shortages, these farms have derelict or ransacked farmhouses and packing sheds. On some, pump houses have been reduced to rubble and farming equipment destroyed or stolen. Hennie de Villiers, a board member of the KZN agricultural union and chairman of the district agricultural committee in uThungulu - where more than 10 farms have been abandoned - said not only had land reform failed in the district, but it had also cost jobs and millions of rands in income from sugar cane, vegetables and export citrus. "At least 500 farm workers have lost their jobs. On one farm alone, over R9 million a year in income from export grapefruit has been squandered. All these farms were producing at least 60 tons of sugar cane a hectare a year. Now there is nothing," said de Villiers. On Valley Farm, Confluence, Concor and Grass Farm, valuable citrus trees are dead, irrigation pipes have been ripped from the ground and productive sugar cane fields have been either burnt or become overgrown with weeds. De Villiers said all the farms had been handed over as working entities. The new farmers inherited water rights, electricity, tractors and other farm implements. Pointing to a rusted trailer used to transport sugar cane, he said it had not moved for five years. "It's never been used. It's just been left to rot out in the open." This while the sugar industry in the province fights for its survival amid persisting drought conditions on the North Coast, rocketing input costs, low global sugar prices and more than 50 percent of the industry's land now under claim. Illovo Sugar managing director Don Macleod said cane supply had dropped from nearly three million tons a year to below 2,3 million tons for this year. "I won't be surprised if it drops to below two million next year. The knock-on effect is that mills are finding it hard to remain financially viable - in fact I would agree that at least one mill is going to close on the North Coast, if not next year at least the year after." Macleod said the land claim process had also taken its toll on the mental attitude of farmers. "When you think 85 000ha of cane land in KZN is under claim and only 2 200ha have been resolved, it has to affect people's mental attitudes. No farmer is going to invest in his property if he knows it's under claim." A land affairs department official said the reasons for the failed farm projects in KZN were complicated. "We really tried to get these projects going but there were social and political tensions between communities. In one case, the head of the community group was shot and killed. He was really a good farmer but the people didn't trust him. They believed he was taking money deposited directly into his bank account from the department for the project. That farm is now in the process of being repossessed by the Land Bank." Kwanalu's Sandy le Marque said land reform failures had brought agricultural projects across KZN to a halt. "There are hundreds of farms all over KZN which are in the same state as those in Empangeni and Eshowe." Melmoth Farmers' Association chairman Nick Harris said government bungling was the single biggest reason for the failure of the land reform process. "There are four farms in our district which are no longer productive. Neighbouring farmers are more than ready to plant and plough the fields for the new farmers, but there is so much red tape. "No one can get involved unless they are registered contractors with the agriculture department. "They have to be BEE accredited and it can take anything up to six months to get approval," Harrison said. "By then the planting season has passed. The new farmers are begging for help."

Farms in South Africa KZN lie abandoned

KZN farms lie abandoned 17 November 2008 Millions of rands spent by the government on land reform projects in Zululand have been wasted so ...

7:56 AM

South Africa P.I.G.