ANC threatens property rights and food security with land proposals

 "Mr. Gwede Mantashe's, secretary general of the ANC, announcement that the ANC has decided that a ceiling should be placed on the land ownership in South Africa in an attempt to speed up land reform, smacks not only of ignorance but it also threatens ownership and food security in South Africa.

"To want to restrict farmers to a maximum of two farms or 12 000 hectares attests of total ignorance about agricultural conditions and agriculture in the country. The return per hectare of a farm in the Karoo differs considerably from a hectare in the Free State, Mpumalanga and North West. The ANC should also say what it regards to as being a farm. Some farms are operated as a unit but are registered with a number of different deeds.

"It appears as if the ANC is starting to succumb to the EFF's land redistribution policy and is trying to out-bid the EFF with regards to land. These decisions will create huge uncertainties in the agricultural sector. At this time the South African commercial farmers need certainty about the future to ensure through new investments and expansions that there is enough food for everyone in future," Dr. Pieter Groenewald, the parliamentary spokesperson on agriculture and land affairs says.

Statement issued by Dr. Pieter Groenewald (MP), FF Plus parliamentary spokesperson: Agriculture and Land Affairs, January 29 2015

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