Abstract:
The situation before the 1994 democratic general elections was that White commercial
farmers, companies and government owaed 87% of the land, while Black furmers who are in
the majority, owned 13% of the land in South Africa.
After the elections, land reform gained a central place in the RDP, which envisioned the
transfer of 30% of the land to the emerging farmers within 5 years, enabling them to
participate in the economic mainstream of the country, and upgrade their living standards,
enhance socio-economic upliftment and secure their tenure rights. .
The objective of the research is to assess the following factors in relation to land reform:
organisational framework, management structure, financial resources and usage, contribution
of women in the projects, forms oflegal entities, sources of conflict, government support, land
potential and its usage, communication, and socio-economic benefits. The problem in land
reform seems to be that production, socio-economic circumstances and resource management
ofthe furms declined after the transfer of the land to the beneficiaries.
The study reveals that the failure ofland reform in the South Eastern Free State is due to the
fact that the natural resources on each ofthe projects, except Matsididi, are totally inadequate.
Additional problems are: lack of common property management, lack of institutional support,
lack of managerial skill and knowledge, lack of technical support, lack of financial support,
neglect of institutional dimension, over-<:entralisation and rigidity, and lack of gender
participation. The study also confirms the need for a new constructive process so as to allow
groups as well as individuals to participate in the development process and also have greater
control over their own destiny. It is obvious from the study that the process of review and
restructuring of land reform will not be achieved without problems. To ensure a smooth
process, not only will the participation of all parties involved be necessary, but substantial
inputs from the Department of Land Affairs and Agriculture and other relevant government
departments will also be required.
An integrated development approach in land reform will be needed, based on efficient land
evaluation and on well-structured, controlled and strategic land reform programmes whereby
social, economic and institutional capacity building are incorporated into a holistic
development process.
