More than 100 years ago, indigenous African people lived together and jointly owned the land. Individual land ownership was an unfamiliar concept. The land belonged to the people and local chiefs managed it on their behalf.
Poverty was unknown because those with the means helped those in need, true to the spirit of Ubuntu. Sadly, the promulgation of the 1913 Land Act changed everything. It was passed by the apartheid government and effectively dispossessed the majority of black people of 77 percent of their land.
It resulted in them no longer being able to own land or property. It also restricted their movement as well as the practice of their cultures. The apartheid government forcibly removed black families from their fertile land and moved them to homelands and poorly serviced townships. It forced them to work for white farmers while others moved to faraway places to look for employment.
They worked under appalling conditions and were given extremely low wages that were inadequate to support them and their families. Activist and freedom fighter Sol Plaatje said these now famous words on the devastation that confronted black people at the time: “Awaking on Friday morning, June 20, 1913, the South African native found himself, not actually a slave, but a pariah in the land of his birth.”
This week marks 100 years since the 1913 Land Act was passed yet its disastrous consequences continue to be felt. It destroyed the potential economic growth that could have blossomed from communities who lost their land. It also denied people the opportunity to farm, own land and accumulate wealth that could have been passed from one generation to the other, enabling communities to provide quality education and better lives for their children.
It caused disruptions to families, forcing the separation of loved ones and leading to children growing up without the meaningful involvement of both parents. Studies have shown that a father's absence and lack of a stable family often have a negative impact on children; they are more likely to fall prey to substance abuse or be involved in antisocial behaviour and criminal activity.
Our first democratically elected government vowed to reverse the damage inflicted by the Act. As we commemorate the centenary, it is important to also note the progress that has been made through various redistribution programmes since 1994.
Addressing the National Assembly during his 2013/14 Budget Vote, the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, Gugile Nkwinti stated: “Since the inception of the Restitution programme in 1995, 79 696 claims were lodged, 77 334 have been settled of which 59 758 were finalised.”
He said his department had published the Restitution of Land Rights Amendment Bill that sought to extend the date for lodging claims for restitution to June 18, 2018 to enable those who did not lodge claims by the cut-off date of 31 December 1998 to do so.
Minister Nkwinti said 4 860 farms had been transferred to black people through redistribution programmes, which translates to more than 4 million hectares, benefiting over 50 000 women, 32 000 youth, and 674 persons with disability.
Since 2010, government has recapitalised 696 farms to full operation, employing 7 400 workers and investing R2.4-billion in infrastructure, inputs and strategic support. President Jacob Zuma has acknowledged that the pace of land reform has not moved as fast as we would have liked and pledged to continue to seek ways to fast-track it within our constitutional framework.
In his State of the Nation Address, he said: “Government will continue to pursue the ‘just and equitable principle for compensation, as set out in the Constitution instead of the willing buyer, willing seller’ principle, which forces the state to pay more for land than its actual value.”
The issue of land reform is complex and Minister Nkwinti says emphasis should not just be on giving land to claimants, but include skills transfer. Claimants must be empowered to use land productively for job creation and food security; and to attract the youth to farming.
Addressing the land issue was at the heart of our fight against apartheid. Remembering this day that resulted in the promulgation of the 1913 Land Act will assist us to note progress made in rectifying the injustices of the past.
We call on all South Africans to play their part in redressing the wrongs of the past to enhance reconciliation.
Phumla Williams is CEO of the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS)
