

Chapter 4



LAND

What is the situation now?

The problem of who owns land has been a major issue in South Africa. We need to redistribute land more fairly. But we must also make sure that we look after the land.

In the past, land was taken away from most black South Africans. Most of the land was owned by whites. Farm workers could be thrown off the land by farmers. Black women had the most difficulty in getting land to own.

Black farmers were only given small pieces of land to farm. It was difficult for them to get the banks to lend them money. They did not get help from the government like the white farmers. This made it difficult for black farmers to farm. Also, because there were too many people living on small pieces of land, the land was overgrazed by cattle, goats and sheep. This caused soil erosion, and damage to the land.

Because of this it was not possible to grow good crops any more. This meant that the people got poorer. Their health got worse because they did not have enough to eat. People tried to farm in areas that were not good for farming, just to try to grow more food. This land has also been damaged. The land in the homelands has been damaged very badly because of these problems.

Too much irrigation can also damage the soil. After too much irrigation the soil is not good for growing crops any more.

The soil in South Africa can be damaged very easily. We need to protect the soil. But we need more information about the damage that has already been done so that we can work out how to fix the problem. Damage to the land and soil may be one of the worst problems facing South Africa. But we are not doing enough to stop it. It is very difficult and expensive to make damaged land good again.

The land in South Africa is used mainly for towns, farming, nature conservation and growing trees. More than three quarters of the land is used for farming. About 1.5 million families depend on farming for jobs. Very little of South African land is very good for growing crops. The western and middle parts of the country get very little rain. This land is used mainly for farming sheep, ostriches and wild animals. It is also used for tourism and nature conservation.

Box 4 on the right shows how the land has been damaged in the homelands.

Managing the land

In the past, the government encouraged a way of farming by white farmers which damaged the land. These farmers have a lot of control over their land, and over the people living on their land.

In the homelands and rural areas, the tribal system no longer works properly. Land that used to be controlled by traditional methods is now being used by everyone. This has caused damage to land that used to be protected by traditional grazing systems.

There are lots of different government departments who look after different aspects of land. There is no joint idea in these departments on how to manage the land. There is no policy for land management that includes environmental issues.

Policy issues for the new government

The government must make sure that black people get back the land that was theirs. The ANC government has already said that they will do this. But at the same time, they must make sure that we still produce enough food, and that we don't do more damage to our land. The government must work out a way to decide what is the best use for land.

The former homelands will need a lot of hard work from the government and the people to heal the land there.

BOX 4:

Former homelands

The 1913 and 1936 Land Acts gave the best farming land to whites. Blacks were only allowed to own land in the small homeland areas.

The former homelands suffer from lack of natural resources. They also suffer from poverty, and too many people living on too little land. Most people in the homelands grow mealies and have sheep, cattle and goats. They get money from family members working on the mines.

Farmers in the former homelands used a lot of fertilisers and pesticides. These chemicals damaged the soil.

Because there was very little land, too many cattle, sheep and goats grazed the land. This has left very little grass and other plants on the land. This has caused bad soil erosion.

Clean water was not provided in the homelands. People had to get water from rivers and springs. Often this water was polluted and made people ill. In a drought the people living in the former homelands suffer most.

In the last five to ten years the mines have retrenched many workers. These people have gone back to the former homelands and increased the number of people living on the land.

The new government will have to do a lot of work to improve the condition of the land in the former homelands, and to improve the living conditions of people in these areas.

The different government departments that look after our land, such as Environmental Affairs, Water Affairs and Forestry, Agriculture and Land Affairs must work together to manage the land. The national, provincial and local governments must also work together.

1.  When land is given back to the people the government must help them to protect the land from damage.
2.  The government must develop good policy on how to use the land. National government should set guidelines for the whole country.
3.  The local people must be involved in all decisions about how to use the land.
4.  Farmers and other people who own or use the land must protect that land.
5.  Women must be given equal rights to own land. They must be helped to get land.
6.  The rights of farmworkers to live on farms must be improved. These workers must be sure that they are allowed to stay on the farms.

Recommendations

1.  The laws about ownership of land and use of resources must make sure that the people who own or rent the land look after it. The redistribution of land must benefit all South Africans, not just a few individuals.
2.  The government must collect information on what land is being used for.
3.  The Government must use laws, taxes and other ways to stop people damaging the land. All the good farming land should be set aside for farming only. Projects to protect our soil must be made stronger.
4.  All decisions about how to use the land should look at how to protect the environment. National, provincial and local governments must work together on this.
5.  We need to find out more about how badly our land has been damaged. We need to find out if it is still being damaged, and how fast. Then we must work out how we can stop this damage and make it better. We may need to change the way people farm in order to protect the land. We must also protect the land next to rivers. Bad use of this land can cause soil erosion. If too much soil gets into the water it makes it difficult for plants and animals to live in the river.
6.  We need to find out more about how chiefs give land to people. We also need to find out about how the land was given back to the people in other African countries. This will help us to learn from their mistakes.
7.  The government must educate people about how important it is to protect our soil and our land.





