WORKSHOP A - LAND ACCESS AND OWNERSHIP
COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE Johannesburg, South Africa
59th Workshop A - 4 September 2013
LAND ACCESS AND OWNERSHIP: PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES EXPERIENCED BY RURAL COMMUNITIES IN ACCESSING LAND. WHAT COULD BE THE ROLE AND INTERVENTION OF PARLIAMENTARIANS?
Moderator:
Hon. Jerry Thibedi, MP (South Africa)
Discussion Leaders: Hon. GG Mokgoro, MP (South Africa)
Prof Gilingwe Mayende, CEO AgriSETA (Agricultural Sector Education Training Authority)
Summary
Delegates discussed the possible solutions to land reform in South Africa. They highlighted a number of methods to achieve the objective, including using land as collateral, engaging traditional leaders, and classifying co-operatives as legal entities.
It was acknowledged that in some communities, land is an integral part of the individual and collective identity. It was considered that land allocated for food production should be protected to minimize the risk of conflict. It was further considered that in order to achieve land reform, pre- and post-settlement support, training, credit, market access, equipment, pricing strategy, infrastructure and land tenure security, were important factors to helping rural communities.
254 | The Parliamentarian | 2013: Issue Four Discussion
Hon. Jerry Thibedi, MP, provided a context for the theme of the Workshop selected by the Host Branch. The 1913 South African Natives’ Land Act, which marked its centenary in 2013, was repealed in 1991 but remains the foundation of land ownership in South Africa. The loss of access to land could be linked directly to colonial policies dating back to the 19th century. The most significant provision of the act was the restriction on black people from buying, leasing and selling land other than in areas that were designated for them.
Ensuring land access for all Hon G.G. Mokgoro, MP, stated that access to productive land is an important global issue and that
a small improvement in this regard could have a profound impact on food security. He briefly related South Africa’s apartheid past and the subsequent constitutional imperative to address the issue of land access, and emphasized the importance of legislative power and the responsibility of Parliamentarians in this regard. The legislative aspects and especially the allocation of the budget have to be areas that Parliamentarians could focus on, and the role of women and traditional leaders in land access has to be duly recognized. Women constitute the majority of the economically active population in rural areas and it is time their access to land be improved as this would assist to develop rural areas. Mr Mokgoro stressed that Parliamentarians have to create mechanisms to enhance
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