#SONA2019: Accelerated rural, urban land reform key to growth

President Cyril Ramaphosa. Image source: GovernmentZA/Flickr

“In the immediate term, government will accelerate efforts to identify and release public land that is suitable for smart, urban settlements and for farming,” he said.

In the stimulus and recovery package announced last year, government promised to prioritise funding for emerging farmers. Over the medium-term budget period, R3.9bn has been allocated to the Land Bank to support black commercial farmers.

Elections will come and go, but challenges in land reform will not

Peter Setou  7 May 2019

Presidential Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture

Ramaphosa said he had received the report of the Presidential Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture, which will now be presented to Cabinet for consideration.

“The panel’s recommendations will inform the finalisation of a comprehensive, far-reaching and transformative land reform programme,” he said.

The panel was appointed in September 2018 to support the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Land Reform, which is chaired by the Deputy President David Mabuza.

It was set up to advise the IMC on a broad range of policy matters associated with land reform, including restitution, redistribution, tenure security and agricultural support.

To support sound policy-making, the panel was mandated to review, research and suggest models for government to implement a fair and equitable land reform process that redresses the injustices of the past, increases agricultural output, promotes economic growth and protects food security.

The panel, which is chaired by Dr Vuyo Mahlathi, was further expected to provide perspectives on land policy in the context of persisting land inequality, unsatisfactory land and agrarian reform and uneven urban land development.