UWCScholar :: Browsing by Author "Lahiff, Edward"

Browsing by Author "Lahiff, Edward"

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Allocation and use of water for domestic and productive purposes: an exploratory study from the Letaba river catchment
(2009) Masangu, T.G.; Lahiff, Edward; Derman, Bill
In this thesis, I explore the allocation and use of water for productive and domestic purposes in the village of Siyandhani in the Klein Letaba sub-area, and how the allocation and use is being affected by new water resource management and water services provision legislation and policies in the context of water reform. This problem is worth studying because access to water for domestic and productive purposes is a critical dimension of poverty alleviation.The study focuses in particular on the extent to which policy objectives of greater equity in resource allocation and poverty alleviation are being achieved at local level with the following specific objectives: to establish water resources availability in Letaba/Shingwedzi sub-region, specifically surface and groundwater and examine water uses by different sectors (e.g. agriculture, industry, domestic, forestry etc.,); to explore the dynamics of existing formal and informal institutions for water resources management and water services provision and the relationship between and among them; to investigate the practice of allocation and use of domestic water; to investigate the practice of allocation and use of irrigation water.The study concludes that there is a problem of water scarcity in the study area and that the water scarcity is caused by the growth in the population, specifically in the Giyani area; these problems are exacerbated by financial and institutional obstacles within local institutions of governance. The water scarcity is not, therefore, natural but anthropogenic in nature.The water scarcity is not felt by all sectors, however: some farmers have access to water for irrigation, while many others face great challenges in their farming activities.Overall, people in Siyandhani and surrounding villages surrounding villages in the Letaba Catchment do not have access to water because of human action, hence the use of the concept of manufactured scarcity. The lack of access to water, it is argued,leads to the violation of the human right to water. This study concludes that water reform, which is widely seen as a priority for South Africa, has not yet reached the villages of the Klein Letaba.
Another countryside? Policy options for land and agrarian reform in South Africa
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2009) Aliber, Michael; Andrews, Mercia; Baiphethi, Mompati; Cliffe, Lionel; Hall, Ruth; Jacobs, Peter; Jara, Mazibuko; Kleinbooi, Karin; Lahiff, Edward; Zamchiya, Phillan
Land reform in South Africa is a political project that has foundered. For years, the process has been variously described as being ‘in crisis’, ‘at a crossroads’, ‘at an impasse’ or simply ’stuck’. This still seems as true as ever, as political pressure is mounting to find new solutions to old problems. In recent years, the issue of ‘delivery’, and how to speed it up, has taken centre stage and become a justificatory framework for arguments about how to reconfigure roles of the state and private sector in land reform. In the process, little attention has been given to the relationship between policy change and mobilisation from below. In the absence of sustained and organised pressure from rural people themselves, it appears that the shifts underway in land reform policy are not so much about ‘delivery’ as about reframing the entire project. Increasingly, the debates on land reform centre not so much on the mechanisms to be used, as on the vision that is to be pursued – something about which existing policy is remarkably silent. At stake is nothing less than what, and whom, land reform is for. South Africans are deeply divided on this question.
Bjatladi community restitution claim
(PLAAS, University of the Western Cape, 2007-08) Tilley, Susan; Lahiff, Edward
This report focuses on the restitution case of the Bjatladi Communal Property Association (CPA) and the development and use of the land that has been restored to it in terms of the restitution programme. It examines the nature and content of the post-settlement support which they have received, and draws lessons from their experience of a strategic partnership arrangement
Bjatladi community restitution claim
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2007) Tilley, Susan; Lahiff, Edward
This diagnostic study examines the restitution case of the Bjatladi Communal Property Association (CPA) and the development and use of the land that has been restored to it in terms of the restitution programme. It examines the nature and content of the post-settlement support which they have received, and draws lessons from their experience of a strategic partnership arrangement. It is hoped that the documenting of these initiatives will contribute to the development of a strategy for post-settlement support provision by land reform institutions and associated agencies. The report describes the location and physical features of the restored land, the history of ownership and dispossession and the changes in land use that took place in the postdispossession period. The process of the claim lodgement, verification, negotiations and settlement are then traced. A detailed assessment of the Settlement Agreement and its implementation is made and the establishment and functioning of the various landholding, shareholding and management structures are considered. The activities undertaken during the post-settlement period and the extent of post-settlement support provision are examined. The study highlights issues for consideration regarding the strategic partnership arrangement as a model for the provision of post-settlement support, and draws conclusions about the central issues emerging from the investigation. In summary, the conclusions focus on the unique set of circumstances surrounding the settlement of the claim; the exclusive nature of the relationship between the community and the strategic partner and the implications of this for support provision; the extent to which the wider land needs of the community, such as land for housing and for smallscale food production, have been addressed; the nature and flow of benefits accruing to the community; the extent to which the rights of individual members have been defined; the sources of potential competition and conflict; and the potential impact of ambiguously drafted agreements.
Budgeting for land reform
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2004) Hall, Ruth; Lahiff, Edward
The primary purpose of land reform in South Africa is to redistribute agricultural and other land in order to address the racially skewed pattern of landholding and promote development. Slow progress in land reform over the past decade underscores the urgency of finding ways to accelerate the process. The state has adopted a market-assisted approach to redistribution. This means that land is usually bought at full market price. In addition, substantial funding is needed for the implementation of the programme and for post-settlement support to beneficiaries. The budget allocated to land reform is therefore of central importance to the programme. This publication surveys trends in the land reform budget over the past decade, with particular emphasis on the redistribution programme.
Business models in land reform
(PLAAS, University of the Western Cape, 2007-08) Lahiff, Edward
This paper reviews the types of business models, or landuse models, being implemented in land reform projects involving the transfer of rural land to communities and other groups in South Africa, under both the restitution and redistribution programmes. It draws heavily on the series of Diagnostic Studies prepared as part of the Sustainable Development Consortium’s (SDC) work on post-settlement support, but also draws from other studies on restitution, notably that conducted by the Community Agency for Social Enquiry (CASE) in 2005, and the wider literature on redistributive land reform in South Africa.
Business models in land reform
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2007) Lahiff, Edward
This paper reviews the types of business models, or landuse models, being implemented in land reform projects involving the transfer of rural land to communities and other groups in South Africa, under both the restitution and redistribution programmes. It draws heavily on the series of Diagnostic Studies prepared as part of the Sustainable Development Consortium’s (SDC) work on post-settlement support, but also draws from other studies on restitution, notably that conducted by the Community Agency for Social Enquiry (CASE) in 2005, and the wider literature on redistributive land reform in South Africa. The aim of this paper is first to identify the types of business model emerging within land reform, and to analyse how they have been implemented and the implications for sustainable development and poverty alleviation. The subject matter inevitably overlaps with other thematic papers in this series, particularly that on livelihoods, but focuses specifically on the business models and aims to avoid repetition of issues discussed in more detail elsewhere
Covie community land claim
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2007) Kleinbooi, Karin; Lahiff, Edward
The Covie community restitution claim refers to a claim by past and present residents of Covie village, situated within the Tsitsikamma National Park, between Plettenberg Bay and Port Elizabeth in the Western Cape province. The claim relates to the forcible dispossession of this largely coloured community of their residential plots, arable allotments and commonage in the 1960s and 1970s.
Evaluating land and agrarian reform in South Africa : Final Report
(Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), 2003) Hall, Ruth; Jacobs, Peter; Lahiff, Edward
Land dispossession was a key feature of racism under colonial rule and apartheid in South Africa. More than 3.5 million people were forcibly removed in the period 1960 to 1983 alone, through homeland consolidation, removals from ‘black spots’ and the Group Areas Act. One result of massive dispossession is the concentration of poverty in South Africa’s rural areas, where about 70% of the population lives below the poverty line (May 1998). The prospect of democracy in the 1990s raised expectations that the dispossessed would be able to return to their land, but the terms on which political transition was negotiated constrained how this could happen. Despite calls for a radical restructuring of social relations in the countryside, the constitutional negotiations on the protection of property rights, and on the economy more broadly, ensured that land reform would be pursued within the framework of a market-led land reform model, as advocated by the World Bank and implemented in countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Zimbabwe.
Evaluating land and agrarian reform in South Africa : Land redistribution
(Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), 2003) Jacobs, Peter; Lahiff, Edward; Hall, Ruth
Land dispossession during the colonial era and the decades of apartheid rule produced a highly unequal pattern of land ownership and widespread rural poverty in South Africa. When a democratically elected government came to power in 1994, it adopted a land reform programme to address the problems inherited from the past and the challenge of development in the rural areas. The land reform programme of the South African government is conventionally described as having three legs: restitution, tenure reform and redistribution. While restitution deals specifically with historical rights in land, and tenure reform with forms of land holding, redistribution is specifically aimed at transforming the racial pattern of land ownership.
From ‘willing seller, willing buyer’ to a people-driven land reform
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2005) Lahiff, Edward
The concept of ‘willing seller, willing buyer’ has dominated the discourse on land reform in South Africa since 1994. Now, following the national Land Summit of July 2005, it appears that government is willing to abandon this approach, but there is little indication of what this might mean in practice. This paper explores the origins and meaning of the concept of ‘willing seller, willing buyer’ and the alternatives that might take its place.
Groenfontein–Ramohlakane community restitution claim
(PLAAS, University of the Western Cape, 2007-08) Tilley, Susan; Nkazane, Ntombizabantu; Lahiff, Edward
This report examines the efforts of the Groenfontein-Ramohlakane Trust to develop and use the land in (Mpumalanga) that has been restored to the community in terms of the Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994 (‘Restitution Act’). It examines the nature and content of the post-settlement support received and draws lessons from the community’s experience that might inform the development of a strategy for post-settlement support provision involving land reform institutions and associated agencies.
Groenfontein–Ramohlakane community restitution claim
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2007) Tilley, Susan; Nkazane, Ntombizabantu; Lahiff, Edward
This diagnostic study examines the efforts of the Groenfontein-Ramohlakane Trust to develop and use the land in (Mpumalanga) that has been restored to the community in terms of the Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994 (‘Restitution Act’). It examines the nature and content of the post-settlement support received and draws lessons from the community’s experience that might inform the development of a strategy for post-settlement support provision involving land reform institutions and associated agencies. At the outset, the report describes the location and physical features of the restored land, the history of ownership and dispossession and the changes in land use that took place in the post-dispossession period. The process of the claim lodgement, verification of membership, negotiations and settlement are then traced. A detailed assessment of the Settlement Agreement and its implementation is made and the establishment and functioning of the legal entity is considered. The developments and support during the post-settlement phase are examined.
Idealised land markets and real needs: the experience of landless people seeking land in the Northern and Western Cape through the market-based land reform programme
(University of the Western Cape, 2009) Tilley, Susan Mary; Lahiff, Edward; Cousins, Ben; School of Government; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
This thesis interrogates the claim that resource-poor, rural land seekers can acquire land through the land market which constitutes the central mechanism of land redistribution in South Africa's market-based land reform programme. The study explores two key aspects in relation to this claim. Firstly, it provides a critique of the underlying assumptions prevalent in much of the current market-based land reform policy, as advocated by its national and international proponents, and the manner in which the market as a mechanism for land redistribution has been conceptualized and its outcomes envisaged. Secondly, it considers the extent to which this conceptualization - which it is argued, draws on idealized and abstracted notions of land market functioning - is realized and examines the extent to which the espoused outcomes of market-based land reform policy are aligned with or contradicted by the functioning of real markets and the experiences of resource-poor land seeking people in their attempts to engage in the land market with limited state support. The details of the market's operation are analysed, with a distinction made between the operational practice of real markets - based on direct evidence-based observation and degrees of policy abstraction and theoretical assumptions regarding how markets should or might operate. The study's methodological framework draws on an agrarian political economy perspective, as used by theorists such as Akram-Lodhi (2007) and Courville (2005), amongst others. This perspective enables a consideration of the various contexts and socially embedded processes involved in land transactions and the extent to which these are shaped and framed by the politics of policy-making. In line with this perspective, the study focuses on the social relations brought to bear on the acquisition of land and the way in which land markets operate. It is suggested that land is not solely viewed as an economic commodity by land-seekers. Furthermore, it was found that markets cannot be understood as neutral institutions in which participants are equal players.
Informal land markets in Rural Mozambique: the case of Mogovolas District in Nampula Province
(University of the Western Cape, 2009) Junior, Tomas Manhicane; Lahiff, Edward; NULL; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
The challenge of alleviating poverty, especially of the rural poor, is a universal one. Mozambique is also faced with this challenge as well the challenge of redressing the inequality exacerbated by civil war. Among the many strategies suggested for addressing poverty is improving poor people’s access to land. In Mozambique, all land is owned by the state, yet informal land markets do exist. A theoretical review of the models on informal markets in developing countries reveals that economy of rural family depend greatly on land resources, and that often formalisation of land markets leads to land concentration and speculation rather than to the promotion of economic development. The overall objective of the study was to analyse the economic, institutional and social dynamics and determinants of informal land markets in rural Mozambique and how they impact on the livelihoods of poor people. Due to the largely unexplored nature of the topic, this study is exploratory and descriptive in nature. Research methods included a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. To achieve these objectives, a strategy comprising two approaches was used. Firstly, a theoretical review was undertaken, to discuss both international and African debate on informal land markets models with regard to different views on Mozambican informal land markets. This theoretical review also covered the political economy of land in Mozambique. Secondly, empirical evidence was systematized in the form of a case study of the perceptions of determinants on informal land markets that was undertaken in Mogovolas district. The lack of clear policy regarding the informal land market in Mozambique produced a complex range of problems, between local people, between locals and new investors, between new investors, and between all these groups and the state. The large majority of smaller localised conflicts were, and continue to be, resolved by traditional authorities and local social-control mechanisms. Conflicts between local people and investors have proved much more complex. The role of the state has been unclear from the start and the state is still dysfunctional due to a lack of transparency, inefficiency, and corruption in management of land.
Joint ventures in agriculture: Lessons from land reform projects in South Africa
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2012) Lahiff, Edward; Davis, Nerhene; Manenzhe, Tshililo
Recent years have witnessed renewed interest in ‘inclusive business models’ in agriculture, as part of wider discussions about growing agricultural investment in lower income countries. Inclusive models aim to include poor people into value chains as producers, employees or consumers, in ways that are both equitable and sustainable. Joint ventures between companies and local communities have received considerable attention in these debates. This report presents findings from research on joint ventures in South Africa’s agricultural sector. The South African experience presents major specificities linked to its history and its recent land reform programme, within which experience with joint ventures has emerged. But it also provides a case where joint ventures have been implemented for some time, and some of the lessons learned may prove valuable for different contexts where discussions about joint ventures are more recent. Under South Africa’s land reform programme, since 1994, previously dispossessed communities have had large areas of agricultural land restored to them and, under pressure from the state, have entered into a range of joint enterprises with commercial partners. Early evidence suggests that these enterprises face multiple difficulties, and the report provides a cautionary tale for international discussions about inclusive business models. This report is based on two case studies of land reform in Limpopo province, Levubu and Moletele. In these sites, large areas of high-value irrigated land have been restored to relatively poor communities. In order to maintain the productivity of commercial farming enterprises, and to maximise long-term benefits for their members, these communities have entered into contractual arrangements with socalled ‘strategic partners’, most of which take the form of joint ventures. While the state funds the land transfer and provides certain start-up grants, the strategic partner is expected to provide technical and managerial expertise and arrange access to commercial sources of credit. In return, the strategic partners expect to benefit from a share of profits, a management fee and opportunities for additional upstream and downstream activities. Communities stand to benefit from land rentals and a share of operating profits, as well as jobs and training opportunities for their members
Joint ventures in agriculture: Lessons from land reform projects in South Africa
(Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), 2012) Lahiff, Edward; Davis, Nerhene; Manenzhe, Tshililo
This report presents findings from research on joint ventures in South Africa’s agricultural sector. The South African experience presents major specificities linked to its history and its recent land reform programme, within which experience with joint ventures has emerged. In contrast to other parts of the world, South Africa provides an example of communities that, as the result of a political transformation, have come into possession of large, valuable agricultural assets, to which they have secured freehold title but often lack the necessary management and financial resources, and are therefore in need of commercial partners. The commercial partners that have linked up with such communities are also atypical in that many are relatively small in scale and some are former owners of the land in question. In the partnerships, local communities are thrust into collective participation in new and complex enterprises, rather than building on familiar household-based activities. And the driving force behind the new ventures is the state, through policy, brokering and the provision of
Land and agrarian reform in South Africa: A status report, 2002
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2002) Turner, Stephen; Cousins, Ben; Lahiff, Edward; Wisbourg, Poul
In 1994, South Africa started a new life as a democratic nation. It faced immense challenges. Multiple economic, social and political transformations were needed to overcome the legacy of colonialism and apartheid. The racially-driven history of the prosperous South African economy had marginalised the black majority from access to resources and productive opportunities, and deprived most of them of the right to build secure homes and livelihoods in the urban areas where the nation s wealth was concentrated.
Land redistribution and poverty reduction in South Africa: The livelihood impacts of smallholder agriculture under land reform
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2007) Lahiff, Edward; Maluleke, Themba; Manenzhe, Tshililo; Wegerif, Marc
Since its inception in 1994, South Africa’s land reform programme has aimed to achieve multiple objectives, including redressing the historical racial imbalance in landholding, alleviating poverty and developing the rural economy. A range of policies has been developed to deal with restitution of historical land rights, redistribution of agricultural land and protection of the rights of people living in communal areas and on commercial farms. Delivery, however, has been painfully slow, with all key policy areas falling far behind their stated targets (DLA 1997; Hall 2004).
Land reform and sustainable livelihoods in South Africa's Eastern Cape province
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2002) Lahiff, Edward
The Eastern Cape is one of the nine provinces of South Africa, located in the south-east of the country along the Indian Ocean seaboard. The area was a site of prolonged struggle between native peoples, principally Xhosa-speakers, and European colonists throughout the eighteen and nineteenth centuries, which saw the defeat and subjugation of the African chieftaincies and the loss of the majority of territory to white settlers.

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