South Africa

Land expropriation in South Africa has been happening since the Dutch arrived during the 17th century. Dutch colonists, British settlers, and the Afrikaans government alike have all persecuted native South Africans in pursuit to control one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. While land expropriation in South Africa has been ongoing for centuries, the efforts to take land away from the already most marginalized citizens ramped up just before and during apartheid.

The two most important acts of this period were the Natives Land Act of 1913 and the Group Areas Act of 1950. Under the Natives Land Act, only 7% of arable agricultural land was designated for black South Africans even though they comprised the majority of the population, which was later expanded to only 13% (Beinart & Delius, 2014). The Group Areas Act enforced segregation of newly established “race groups” in urban areas (Mabin, 1992). Native South Africans were forced to migrate en masse to the outskirts of cities, also known as informal settlements or townships. These pieces of legislation remained intact until the end of apartheid in the early 1990s (Beinart & Delius, 2014).

While apartheid came to an official end in 1991, the effects of past land expropriation have been far-reaching. South Africans who lost land during apartheid were hopeful that the African National Congress, the party that has been in power since the country’s first democratic elections in 1994, would bring change to the landscape. The ANC under Mandela promised to redistribute 30% of the land within the first 5 years of their rule. Almost 30 years later, only between 5% and 10% of this land has actually been redistributed (Gjuvsland, 2009).

As land scholar Ben Cousins says, land reform in South Africa is a “ticking time bomb” (2018). The Economic Freedom Fighters, a newly emerging far-left political party, is committed to land reform that benefits the most marginalized groups by any means necessary, which could mean violence (Huffington Post, 2018). As a response to the EFF’s growing popularity, current president Cyril Ramaphosa plans to amend the Constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation (Kumwenda-Mtambo, 2018). Many fear this strategy would also lead to violence.

The future of land in South Africa remains uncertain. With radical new stances on an issue so entrenched in the society, there are many opposing views. There could be violence, economic failure, and widespread fear or the ANC could finally succeed in achieving equality so many years after the end of apartheid. It is time for South Africa to find a solution to the ages old land question.