South Africa’s race-based farmland leases strengthen the case of minority persecution

The think tank and advocacy group, Lex Libertas, is preparing a report on the destructive race-based exclusion in state land policy, and will request a meeting with the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development tomorrow. This follows the department's advertisements barring white people from leasing state farmland, whatever their skill.

According to Lex Libertas, the policy strengthens the argument that South Africa is undergoing minority persecution.

The department's 2026 advertisements for state farms in Mpumalanga and the Western Cape, among others, list as their first eligibility criterion that 'Applicants must be Africans, Indians, and Coloureds who are South African citizens.' White applicants are excluded regardless of their farming experience or ability. These advertisements come as President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on 12 October that the government is releasing about 2.5 million hectares of state-owned land to black farmers.

'These are the state's own documents. Nobody had to interpret or leak them,' said Dr Ernst Roets, Executive Director of Lex Libertas. 'When the state holds millions of hectares of farmland and decides by skin colour who may farm it, that is not an isolated mistake. It fits a pattern of laws and policies that single out minorities, and it strengthens the argument that minority persecution is taking place in South Africa.'

'Government policy should be economically viable, and should contribute to growth and prosperity,' Roets said. 'Food security and rural jobs depend on that, and so does the basic principle of equality before the law.'

Lex Libertas will use the report to engage the minister and, if needs be, to continue its local and international campaigns.

The lease advertisements can be viewed here:

• • Portion 3 of the farm Weltevreden 336 JT, Mpumalanga:https://www.dlrrd.gov.za/images/application_to_lease_state_farms/2026/portion-3-of-farm-weltevreden-336jt.pdf
• • Matzikama Local Municipality, Western Cape:https://www.dlrrd.gov.za/images/application_to_lease_state_farms/2026/middelputs-plas-project.pdf