MOTLANTHE's VIEWS ON LAND REFORM WELCOMED

Agri SA has welcomed the views expressed by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe before the Parliamentary press gallery association. Motlanthe said it was not necessary to change the Constitution in order to achieve land reform targets because existing legislation was adequate if applied correctly. The organisation also welcomed his view that if land must be acquired in the public interest, fair compensation should be paid and the process should be subject to the authority of the court.

It has long been Agri SA's position that the willing seller approach or constitutional guarantees were not obstacles to successful land reform, but rather incompetence, corruption and mismanagement within the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform.

Motlanthe's statement comes as a breath of fresh air in a very problematic land reform environment where commercial agriculture faces immense uncertainty, threats of expropriation and poor administration. In KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West - where the highest pressure is experienced due to outstanding land claims - the incompetence with which the process is being managed is disastrous for agriculture.

The ANC's Polokwane resolutions of 2007 required, among other things, that the willing seller approach be scrapped because it allegedly hampered land reform. However, no one at that conference referred to the magnitude of nepotism and other irregularities on the part of officials, and their destructive role was not taken into consideration. In light of a more detailed situation analysis, the ANC should withdraw its resolution and, on the basis scientific facts, formulate a policy on land reform which will promote investment in agricultural production and sustainability. Hopefully Motlanthe's recent statements in this regard will pave the way for a more rational approach.

A strategy, with practical implementation procedures to render the Green Paper on Land Reform more effective, was discussed in depth by Agri SA's affiliates this week. Aspects thereof are currently being discussed within the six Green Paper working groups, but Agri SA is also seeking an opportunity to discuss the matter in more detail with the ruling party.

Statement issued by Dr Theo de Jager, Deputy President Agri SA, November 10 2011

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