we will be forced to expropriate agricultural land, says minister
15 February 2008

The government believes it is on track to transfer 25 million hectares, or 30 percent, of agricultural land to previously disadvantaged black farmers by the target date of 2014.  It also believes it will cost R16 billion to transfer 5 million hectares to 10 000 black farmers in the next two years.

But both the government and agricultural unions say that many of those who have already received farms through the reform programme have failed to make the grade.

Paul van der Walt, the president of the Transvaal Agricultural Union, said about 700 farms had been transferred from white to black hands in Limpopo and a large number were transferred in the North West.

However, many of these farms were either sold back to white farmers or were just used as accommodation. He said the tendency was not to farm but to put hundreds of people on the land. Agriculture and land affairs minister Lulu Xingwana acknowledged that much of the land transfers since 1994 had not produced effective commercial farmers, as people lacked the necessary skills.

AgriSA spokesperson Annelize Crosby said that the various commodity organisations of her commercial farmers union, the milk, wool and meat organisations were involved in training black farmers. But Van der Walt said the state should be involved in this sort of training.

With about 3 million hectares already transferred, the state intends to transfer 2.5 million hectares to black farmers this year and next year and 3.5 million each year from 2010 to 2014.

Asked if it was realistic to expect a transfer of 80 percent of the target in six years when less than 5 percent was transferred since 1994, Xingwana said she thought it was possible. "That is why we are reviewing strategies. We are revisiting the willing buyer, willing seller [policy]. In many cases it has not worked."

She noted that expropriations would occur, but only after the required processes were carried out.

In terms of restitution legislation by which land is claimed by people who used to live on it the state could expropriate when a farmer was not willing to sell. "But we have land claims which have been placed for more than 10 years with people waiting for land," Xingwana said. "We will be forced to expropriate."

Donwald Pressly, www.busrep.co.za