Lex Libertas calls for an end to racial exclusion in state land policy

Lex Libertas has published a new report, Race-Based Exclusion in South African State Land Policy, exposing how the South African government uses race as an eligibility criterion in the allocation of state-owned agricultural land.

The report draws on the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development's own advertisements, which explicitly restrict applications for certain state farms to African, Indian and Coloured citizens. White citizens are excluded from consideration, regardless of their farming experience, available resources or ability to farm productively.

The report also highlights serious shortcomings in existing land reform programmes, including underutilised agricultural land, declining productivity and the consequences for rural communities.

Lex Libertas has already arranged to meet with the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Mzwanele Nyhontso, to present the report and discuss the need for meaningful policy reform.

‘We believe that access to agricultural land should be determined by fair and transparent criteria, with particular emphasis on productive capacity, secure property rights and the interests of the communities affected,’ said Dr Ernst Roets, Executive Director of Lex Libertas.

‘However, the underlying problem is more fundamental. South Africa's highly centralised political system allows the national government to impose policies on communities with very different circumstances. We therefore advocate the decentralisation of political power and greater self-government, enabling communities to exercise meaningful authority over the resources and decisions that affect their livelihoods.’

Lex Libertas calls for the removal of racial eligibility requirements from state land allocation policies, stronger protection of property rights and a broader discussion about decentralisation as a means of securing a more viable political dispensation for South Africa.

• Click here to read the report.