The South African redistribution imperative: Incongruities in theory and practice
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Date
2021
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Abstract
It has partly been assumed that the constitutional obligation to pay compensation
for expropriations is to blame for the slow pace at which land has been redistributed
in South Africa. However, this assumption requires careful analysis and reflection,
with reference to the imperfections of the policies and laws that set out to address
landlessness, as well as the underlying theoretical approach to economic justice. This
article questions the purpose for which land reform beneficiaries acquire land, with
reference to the role that property should ideally fulfil for the landless. The article
makes a number of observations to cast light on why the redistribution of land
has been alarmingly slow, where inconsistencies and loopholes exist in the programme, and whether expropriations for nil compensation will make any difference
in remedying existing failures in the redistribution programme.
Description
Keywords
Land reform, Redistribution, Economic justice, Egalitarianism, South Africa
Citation
Viljoen, S. M. (2021). The South African redistribution imperative: Incongruities in theory and practice. Journal of African Law, 65, (3),403–429. 10.1017/S0021855321000188