The press has recently been awash with articles attacking South Africa’s progressive legislation modernising land ownership. It has resulted in the Trump regime introducing punitive sanctions against South Africa. Both Trump and his backer Elon Musk, the privileged child of Apartheid, have weighed in alleging racism against Afrikaners.
So what are the facts?
The current legislation has remained unchanged since the Apartheid era, 1975. Reform is long overdue and represents a necessary post-Apartheid correction.
Currently 72% of farms and agricultural holdings are owned by white individuals, who make up 7.3% of the population, while black Africans, constituting 81.4% of the population, own only 4% of the land.
Much of the white-owned land is unproductive and fallow. Agriculture contributes 2.62% to South Africa’s GDP, which is less than one-third of what it was during apartheid when the Afrikaner Nationalist state heavily subsidised this sector.
This imbalance is a consequence of colonialism and Apartheid, and South Africa remains very unequal with wealth and opportunities heavily biased in favour of the white population. The structural inequality brought about by Apartheid remains.
The South African Government’s reforms include a number of measures based on the underlying objective to “unlock the potential for a dynamic, growing and employment-creating agricultural sector”. The constitution provides the ability to expropriate land and land reform if it is in the public interest. The legislation is aligned with the constitution and enjoys very broad political and democratic support. It should be noted most countries have similar legislation in relation to land expropriation in relation to public interest.
The government and all political parties in South Africa are now uniting in their opposition to Donald Trump. They reject the premise that this legislation is discriminatory.
We stand in solidarity with South Africa in its determination to deliver reform in this important area. The Trump administration does not speak for South Africans. Their sanctions and threats should be resisted. It is for South Africans to determine their own democratic and constitutional pathways. They should decide how it deals with the very real racist legacy of Apartheid and the resulting inequality, poverty and economic opportunities.
For more information on the position of the South African government, click here: Land reform | South African Government
For a detailed outline of the legislation by Stellenbosch University property law Professor, Zsa-Zsa Boggenpoel, click here: Land seizure and South Africa’s new expropriation law: scholar weighs up the act.
