LREAD

LREAD PERSPECTIVE- 2019 REFLECTION

Casidra2019-12-06T16:05:43+02:00And here we have arrived at the end of another year in South Africa! As usual, it was full of ups and downs, but that is all part of what makes our country so special. It was also an interesting year in terms of land reform activities. Here is a quick recap. Expropriation without Compensation (EWC), dominated the land discourse throughout the year. It was used as a main rallying call leading up to the elections in May by both the...

30 April 2019 – LAND REFORM ADVISORY DESK PERSPECTIVE

Casidra2019-05-07T16:52:27+02:00It is two weeks before the 2019 National Elections in South Africa and depending on where you stand, you may be excited or anxious about the outcome. Land reform, expropriation without compensation and changes to Section 25 of the Constitution were all topics regularly mentioned by many parties competing in the build up to this election. The land issue, as part of South Africa’s history, and the transformation project, as part of South Africa’s future, remain as emotive and pressing...

LREAD Perspective December 2018

Casidra2018-12-23T08:58:19+02:00Land reform has been on the centre stage throughout 2018, and with national elections coming in the first half of 2019, one can expect much more in the months to come. Populist phrases and concepts such as “Expropriation without Compensation” and “give back the land” rang loud and clear throughout the year. But there were also critical and analytical evaluations on land reform by thought leaders throughout the year. A good example of this is work done by Professor Johan Kirsten,...

LREAD Perspective July 2018

Casidra2018-12-23T08:59:22+02:00Parliament is currently wrapping up public participation sessions throughout the country, which allowed ordinary South African citizens the opportunity to speak out on the proposal to amend Section 25 of the South African Constitution in order to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation. Some of these sessions have laid bare the raw emotion often accompanying discussions about land in our country. On the one hand, people are arguing that through colonialism and apartheid policies, black South African citizens’ land...

LREAD Perspective: Expropriation without compensation

Casidra2018-12-23T08:51:51+02:00Land expropriation without compensation is on everyone’s lips, since the EFF and the ANC proposed a Parliamentary Motion that could see the Constitution modified to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation. What does this mean for those affected? One would be naïve not to see the political machinations behind the motion: A partnership between the ANC and EFF could benefit the ANC, especially in the metro areas governed by DA led coalitions, in partnership with the EFF. The EFF...

LREAD Perspective November 2017

Casidra2018-11-09T08:27:59+02:00

The AgriSA Land Audit

AgriSA made public its much anticipated South African Land Audit this month. A lot has been said about agricultural land ownership in South Africa, but no credible statistics have been available to back up the various claims. The AgriSA Land Audit, done together with Media24 and economist Johann Bornman of Agri Development Solutions, is an attempt to provide accurate statistics and numbers to work with. As part of their investigation, individual agricultural land transactions from 1994...

LREAD Perspective August 2017

Casidra2018-12-11T08:45:27+02:00

Talking is better than fighting

Why is talking better than fighting?  I used Google and came across the following insightful quote: “Discussions are always better than arguments, because an argument is always about who is right, and a discussion is to find out what is right”. This quote holds much truth for our land reform journey in South Africa. We seem to spend a lot of energy on framing role players as being on the right side or...

LREAD Perspective May 2017

Casidra2018-12-11T08:45:38+02:00

Sharing is caring

The Nampo agricultural show, which took place in May in Bothaville, is one of the highlights on the South African agricultural calendar. First time attendees are always blown away by the scale of this event. The show attracted 78 648 visitors and 700 exhibitors this year.  It is also the place to come up close with the latest in farming technology. This year saw Senzeni Zokwana, South African Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, posing on...