Research Reports

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10566/22

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What happens on land reform farms in South Africa? A field-based reality check
(Routledge, 2026) Hall, Ruth; Kepe, Thembela
Land reform in South Africa has not only been slow compared to official targets and popular expectations, but also, where land has been acquired for redistribution, people lack secure rights and have limited options for improving their livelihoods. In this paper we report on our field-based research on ten projects in the Eastern Cape, offering insights that can only become visible with detailed fieldwork. In our initial study, none of the beneficiaries had valid leases, and by the time of writing over a decade later, rights had been secured in only four of the projects. We show how the projects studied fit into three distinct types: the “stymied middle class” of aspiring emerging farmers; “agribusiness cashing in” where strategic partners have taken over; and “abandoned farm workers” who have lost their jobs but remain on farms where they struggle to eke out a living. All three are far from what is written in policy or imagined in the public discourse on land reform. Without redistribution of wealth or assets, and without secure tenure, much of what we have found is in fact not land reform at all but rather a state-driven programme of expanding insecure state tenancy.
Climate change and rural livelihoods in Southern Africa: An agenda for policy-oriented research
(Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), 2022) Bennie, Andrew
This report is the outcome of an extensive review of the literature and the debates on climate change and landbased livelihoods in Southern Africa. In the context of the converging climate and food crises, it provides an overview of the politics of climate change, its impacts, and responses in Southern Africa, and sketches the outlines of PLAAS’s research agenda on the intersections of climate change, agrarian change and rural livelihoods. As such, it is an open-ended document, intended to identify and formulate questions, not to present answers. The purpose of the report is to set out in broad terms the way in which seek to connect our work on agrarian change and rural livelihoods to the questions raised by the climate crisis currently facing our societies.
PLAAS Annual Report 2019
(PLAAS, 2020-12-01) PLAAS
PLAAS had a successful 2019, contributing effectively to the University of the Western Cape’s mission as a research-led, community-oriented and engaged university.
Elite Capture in Land Redistribution in South Africa
(PLAAS, 2019-12-03) Mtero, Farai; Gumede, Nkanyiso; Ramantsima, Katlego
The research on elite capture in land redistribution in South Africa was conceived against the background of a significant decline in systematic research on land reform outcomes. Data on land reform outcomes and more specifically, evidence on who has been benefiting from South Africa’s land redistribution, is generally poor. Currently, land reform beneficiaries access land through the leasehold system, initially introduced through Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS) in 2006, and operationalised through the State Land Lease and Disposal Policy (SLLDP) in 2013. The government introduced a new and revised SLLDP in 2019. This research specifically focuses on land reform projects commonly referred to as PLAS farms but are leased to beneficiaries on the basis of the SLLDP. Accordingly, we refer to these projects as SLLDP farms in line with the SLLDP which outlines the terms on which the state may agricultural land to land reform beneficiaries. Our research for this report sought to deepen our understanding of elite capture and to provide a more comprehensive picture of how elite capture unfolds in land reform. The key overarching questions framing this report include the following: who has benefited from South Africa’s land redistribution? Who have been the winners and losers in land redistribution and why? What are the criteria for beneficiary targeting and selection? This research shows that the net effect has been to redirect state resources originally intended for the poor, to the better-off.
Pressures on land in sub-Saharan Africa: Social differentiation and societal response
(Overseas Development Institute, 2012) Hall, Ruth; Paradza, Gaynor
This paper focuses on large-scale land acquisitions and the implications of these new trends for land tenure rights in sub-Saharan Africa. It highlights trends in legal and policy approaches; describes and analyses new pressures on land and related natural resources; provides an analysis of drivers of resource scarcity and competing uses; summarises what is known about better and worse practices in partnerships between local communities and external investors; and concludes with recommendations for development partnerships.
Backing small-scale fishers: Opportunities and challenges in transforming the fish sector
(Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), 2015) Isaacs, Moenieba; Hara, Mafaniso
Globally, small-scale fisheries play a significant role in food security, poverty reduction and income generation (Béné et al 2007; Heck et al 2007; Béné et al 2010; FAO 2003). At the 2008 Global Conference on Small-Scale Fishing in Bangkok, Thailand, organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), it was indicated that small-scale fisheries contribute to more than half of the world’s marine and inland fish catch. The importance of this sector is further underlined as it employs over 95% of all men and women engaged in fisheries worldwide and that, of these, more than 90% are to be found in developing countries (FAO 2009). In Africa, it is estimated that the fishing sector provides income for over 10 million people engaged in fish production, processing and trade. And the sector contributes to the livelihoods and food security of over 200 million people on the continent1. In South Africa, however, fisheries have historically been dominated by the commercial marine sector.
Self-employment in South Africa’s informal sector: Prevalence, prospects and policy
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2011) Neves, David; Aliber, Michael; Mogaladi, Jan; du Toit, Andries
This text describes research undertaken to investigate small-scale self-employment at the margins of the South African economy. Despite high levels of poverty and unemployment South Africa’s informal sector is, by developing country standards, comparatively small. As economic informality is crucial to the livelihoods of many impoverished households, this is not only an issue of theoretical interest but of public policy significance. The research described in what follows drew on an integrated qualitative and quantitative inquiry in order to understand the contribution of informal self-employment to the livelihoods of impoverished households. The study sought to examine the factors that both enable and constrain informal self-employment, as well as state policies and programmes concerned with economic informality. The chapter concludes by discussing a number of policy recommendations intended to enhance the ability of policymakers to appropriately support the livelihoods of the poor. Since being coined almost four decades ago, the nomenclature of the ‘informal sector’ has been used to describe marginal and low-productivity economic activities, often outside the realm of state regulation and taxation (Hart, 1972). More recently enterprise-based definitions of economic informality have been eclipsed by employment-based conceptions, and refer to those who labour outside networks of employment contracts, protections and benefits (Jutting et al. 2007). However, in much the same way as the controversial concept of a ‘second economy’ (African National Congress, 2004), the moniker of the informal sector potentially invokes an overstated dualism. It overlooks the manner in which formal and informal are intertwined, and the manner in which the precarious employment conditions associated with informality are increasingly to be found at the heart of ‘formal’ enterprises and economies.
Livelihoods after land reform: The impacts of land reform on livelihoods in Namibia: Section B
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2010) Werner, Wolfgang; Odendaal, Willem
The first AALS farmers in Hardap obtained their land in 1992, and the most recent in 2003. In Omaheke, the first AALS farmer obtained his farm in 1992 and the most recent, a woman, in 2000. Thus in both regions the oldest AALS beneficiaries have been farming as such for 17 years. All 10 AALS farming households interviewed in Hardap Region were male-headed. Eight of the household heads were married with a civil marriage certificate, one was widowed and one was single. One farm was registered in a wife’s name while her husband waited for his AALS loan to be approved. All the others farms were registered in the names of the household heads. The AALS farm sizes ranged from 3 500 ha to 20 000 ha. In Omaheke, three male and two female household heads made up the AALS interview sample. The average age of the Hardap household heads was 52 years, with a median of 50. Twenty per cent were over 60 years of age. The average age of the Omaheke household heads was also 52, the youngest being 48 and the oldest 57. In Hardap, five farmers stated that they had received tertiary education, while the lowest standard of formal education attained was Standard 5 (Grade 7 under the new system).
Emerging rooibos farmer market access project
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2011) Kruger, Sandra; du Toit, Andries; Keahey, Jennifer; Murray, Douglas; Raynolds, Laura; Ryser, Lisa
Global markets increasingly require rapid and coordinated response to standards and certification. Yet despite broad political transformations in post‐Apartheid South Africa, structural power relations limit emerging farmer capacity to effectively access certified markets such as fairtrade and organic. Within the Rooibos commodity network, inequitable functioning has prevented emerging farmers from fully developing critical market‐access skills and resources. While diverse groups have collaborated to achieve mutual interests, the cooperative building process has been marked by conflict. There is a need to involve producers in networks as this will help the industry to more effectively capture lucrative market opportunities. Successful community and emerging farmer network efforts are potential building blocks in which to inform further engagement. The South African Rooibos Council is working towards developing formal emerging farmer networking space as part of its Broad‐based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) portfolio. Diverse industry and organizational experts are increasingly invested in emerging communities and a core group has expressed interest in further collaboration. Commodity network efforts have been incrementally achieving goals, but more work needs to be done to ensure development sustainability and scalability.
Reconsidering rural development: Using livelihood analysis to examine rural development in the former homelands of South Africa
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2017) Neves, David
‘Rural development’ as concept and focus of public policy is comparatively new, having emerged in the post-war period. Much of the impetus for ‘rural development’ arose in the context of newly decolonised, low-income countries, where particularly development economists mooted the ability of the smallscale and subsistence agricultural sector to proactively contribute to national economic development. Early efforts to promote rural development were, therefore, not driven simply by the promise of increasing rural employment and food production. Instead, it was believed that rising agricultural productivity would drive national development by freeing up a marketable surplus, attracting foreign exchange, and providing a market for domestic industrial production.
Commercialisation of land and ‘Land Grabbing': Implications for Land Rights and livelihoods in Malawi
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2015) Zamchiya, Phillan; Gausi, Joseph
This study investigates the processes and impact of commercialisation of land in Malawi – specifically the acquisition of huge tracts of communal lands by foreign companies and local elites for sugarcane production in Nkhotakota and Chikwawa districts. The main finding was that ‘land grabbing’ for large-scale commercial agriculture in these two districts negatively affected the livelihoods of the poor communal farmers. The costs to the affected communities outweighed the benefits. In the two districts studied, land grabbing was driven by a weak communal tenure legal framework and the Malawi government’s support for large-scale agro-investments. The key players behind land grabbing were local elites, traditional leaders, foreign companies, international agencies, the coercive apparatus of the state – the police and army – and politicians. The land acquisition processes in both districts were violent and arbitrary, with no compensation offered to the displaced communities. The way in which the land was acquired resulted in the destruction of people’s properties, crops and household incomes, leading to increased food insecurity and poverty among the rural poor. Even though Malawi is a signatory to international land governance frameworks1, there was a disjuncture between policy and practice due to the players not complying with the statutes.
Zimbabwe's new land crisis: Large-scale land investments at Chisumbanje
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2015) Matondi, Prosper; Nhliziyo, Clemence
Zimbabwe’s investments in agriculture, after a contested Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) underpinned by often violent land occupations (these were largely contained by the state by 2005), have triggered a debate on the meaning and import of ‘international land grabs’ (Matondi 2015). Internationally, the debates have been increasing, with the drive towards the cultivation of feedstock for the production of renewable fuel being one driving force. The mandatory blending of biofuels in national fuel stocks has been accepted and today 62 countries have introduced mandatory blending, with South Africa introducing a target of 2% blending in October 2014. It is in respect of the emerging trends that we sought to decipher the meaning of ‘land grabs’, ‘international land grabs’ and ‘agricultural investments’ as these mean different things in different contexts.
Space, markets and employment in agricultural development: Malawi country report
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2015) Chirwa, Ephraim; Matita, Mirriam
There is a growing literature on the links between farm and non-farm employment activities in rural societies and the important roles played by rural non-farm employment in poverty reduction (Lanjouw, 2001; Davis et al., 2002; Deichmann et al., 2009; Haggblade et al., 2010). The links between agricultural growth and non-farm employment are not clearly understood. It has long been assumed that agricultural growth benefits non-farm employment by increasing local demand from farmers and farm workers for goods and services, but history shows that this is not always the case. The employment benefits of agricultural growth depend on many factors – including, crucially, the spatial organisation of production, processing and marketing, and the nature of the value chains that link farmers to local and distant markets, as consumers and as producers. If these forms of organisation bypass local markets, agricultural development can lead to links with distant markets being strengthened, while not contributing to the local economy. In the context of growing pressure on agricultural land, these questions are becoming increasingly important in many parts of the world. This is particularly so in Southern Africa where rural development is affected by a host of pressures, including competition for agricultural land, the political saliency of land reform and small farmer development, and the increasing power of supermarkets. A better understanding is needed of the spatial and institutional factors that support employment-intensive rural development.
Imithetho yomhlaba yaseMsinga: The living law of land in Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2011) Cousins, Ben; Alcock, Rauri; Dladla, Ngididi; Hornby, Donna; Masondo, Mphethethi; Mbatha, Gugu; Mweli, Makhosi; Alcock, Creina
This report describes the ‘living law’ of land in one part of Msinga, a deep rural area of KwaZulu-Natal. It presents research findings from the Mchunu and Mthembu tribal areas, where a three-year action-research project was carried out by staff of the Mdukutshani Rural Development Programme1. Launched in 2007, at a time when implementation of the Communal Land Rights Act of 2004 (CLRA) appeared imminent, the project aimed to gain a detailed understanding of land tenure in Msinga, facilitate local-level discussion of potential solutions to emerging problems around land rights, provide information on the CLRA to residents and authority structures and help generate ideas on how local people could engage with the new law.
Mainstreaming of HIV and Aids into South African fisheries policy
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2008) Isaacs, Moenieba; Hara, Mafaniso
HIV/Aids is one of the most serious health, economic and social issues facing southern Africa today (UNAIDS; Heywood 2004). Although only 10% of the world’s population lives in Sub-Saharan Africa, 64% of the 39.5 million people estimated to have been living with the HI virus in 2006 were from Sub-Saharan Africa. Estimates show that women are disproportionally affected, with 77% of all women living with the virus worldwide being from Sub-Saharan Africa. The severity of the epidemic in southern Africa is closely linked to poverty, the low status of women and other Figure 2: HIV prevalence by age group, South Africa 2005i Figure 3: HIV prevalence in population (aged two years and older) by race, South Africa 2005 ii social-economic factors (Department of Health 2007).
Land reform in South Africa: A status report 2008
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2008) Lahiff, Edward
After 14 years of democracy in South Africa, there is agreement across the political and social spectrum that the state’s programme of land reform is in severe difficulties. Almost since its inception, the programme has been criticised for failing to reach its targets or deliver on its multiple objectives of historical redress, redistribution of wealth and opportunities, and economic growth. Particular weaknesses – highlighted by its political supporters and opponents alike – include the slow pace of land redistribution, the failure to impact significantly on the land tenure systems prevailing on commercial farms and in the communal areas, and the widespread perception that what redistribution of land has taken place has not been translated into improvements in agricultural productivity or livelihood benefits for the majority of participants. Nevertheless, despite much political hand-wringing and some changes in direction, the policy fundamentals remain largely unchanged from the formula that was put in place at the time of the transition to democracy. Of particular interest, therefore, is not so much the chronic underperformance of a policy area that many saw as critical to post-apartheid transformation, but the ability of the government to persist for so long with an approach that enjoys so little popular support and is clearly failing to deliver on its ostensible objectives.
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).
Schmidtsdrift community land claim
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2007) Kleinbooi, Karin
The historic land of the Schmidtsdrift community lies along the banks of the Vaal River in the Northern Cape province, along the R300 road to Griquastad, approximately 71 km west from Kimberley and 53 km north-east from Douglas. The area is now under the jurisdiction of the Siyancuma Local Municipality and the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality. The Schmidtsdrift Restitution Claim was first lodged with the Advisory Commission of Land Rights (ACLA) in 1992 by the Batlhaping community consisting of approximately 800 claimant households. The claim was subsequently taken over by the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights (CRLR), which also received competing claims on the same land from the Kleinfonteintjie community, the Griqua community and the !Xhu and Khwe! San community.
The impact of land restitution and land reform on livelihoods
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2007) Hall, Ruth
This thematic paper investigates emerging trends evident in the limited literature available on the impact of land restitution on livelihoods, and suggests ways of thinking about, and planning for, livelihoods. The paper has a two-fold emphasis: its primary focus is on rural restitution claims where land has been restored, but it also addresses rural land reform more generally. Where land ownership has been transferred to land reform beneficiaries, similar patterns and challenges may arise, regardless of whether the land was acquired through the redistribution or the restitution route.
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.

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