Land reform 2021: beware of fake news
Do it yourself
DR MARC WEGERIF is a lecturer in development studies at the University of Pretoria.
What we can expect from land reform this year?
I’m not optimistic that much will be achieved in 2021 considering current and past failings, but we need to keep trying, and to learn from past mistakes. Failure to do so will leave space for groups with ‘wild rhetoric’ that will create even more uncertainty and division, and bring no results.
Do not misunderstand me. We need serious, far-reaching change, but this needs to be achieved in an intelligent way.
What do you see as the biggest obstacles to land reform?
Land inequality is a highly emotive and politicised issue, so we need good data to really know the nature of land inequality and measure progress in addressing it. It’s not good enough for government to publish an audit where more than half of ownership cannot be accorded a race, gender or even nationality. The narrow focus on changing landownership in an industry where corporatisation and financialisation have become the order of the day also reflects a huge disjuncture between government’s vision and the reality on
