Land redistribution in South Africa: Towards decolonisation or recolonisation?
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Date
2018
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract
Contrary to populist political discourses, in South Africa the ruling party’s approach to land
policy is reproducing paternalistic relations that echo apartheid practices and represent the
’colonial present’. This reality stands in stark contrast to the initial aim of land reform, which
was conceived as part of a larger project of decolonisation. The latest land redistribution
strategy, the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy, where the state remains the landowner, is
no longer consistent with the project of decolonisation. This is because, we argue, land
redistribution in South Africa has drifted away from the ideal of social justice; it increasingly
displays symptoms of what the ’colonial present’ and ’recolonisation’. Party politics, as well
as the emergence of a challenge to the ruling party from the left, has prompted a more
radical rhetoric, but one that co-exists with deeply conservative practices. This paper argues
that the status quo represents a betrayal of the idea of land reform as decolonisation, and
that a radical shift in policy and practice is needed in order to align it with a project of
decolonisation in South Africa.
Description
Keywords
Land redistribution, South Africa, ANC, Land policy, Social justice
Citation
Kepe, T. & Hall, R. (2018). Land redistribution in South Africa: Towards decolonisation or recolonisation? Politikon, 2018.