Many were optimistic that the liberation struggle would lead to the nationalisation of land, but any radical intent was quelled with the adoption of a liberal Constitution in 1996, which entrenched property rights. The failure of existing land policies and land struggles are clearly illustrated.
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The New Political Economy of Land Reform In South Africa, By Adeoye O. Akinola
In post-apartheid South Africa, land continues to be a key capital and social property.
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Despite the popular optimism that EWC is the necessary instrument to fast-track land reform, it may not be the magic wand capable of effectively redistributing land to the majority and redressing historical injustices. Policy implementation has been a major challenge in South Africa. EWC may later trap land in the hands of the government and a few elites…
A lively discussion took place recently on
The New Political Economy of Land Reform in South Africa, which I edited, along with Irrshad Kaseeram and Nokukhanya Jili. The meeting was chaired by Ruth Hall, a leading land expert at the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), University of the Western Cape (UWC). Professor Tumo Charles Maloka, of the School of Law at the University of Limpopo, and I were the main speakers.