That resolution of the land question in SA is a necessity cannot be contested. We need to deal decisively with correcting the historical injustice of land dispossession as part of the quest to build a sustainable future, premised on achieving, among others, spatial equality. And it’s important for meaningful nation-building and for unlocking untapped economic potential.
When parliament resolved to amend the constitution to effect the expropriation of land without compensation last year, there was an element of unease in certain quarters. Some groups, for example, tried to project the debate as an irresponsible policy that could lead to societal fracture.
But our response was, and remains, that we must confront the historical injustices that threaten our peace and stability. If we fail to do this, we will simply postpone the inevitable social friction that would pull us backwards, instead of launching us into a prosperous future.
This elemental understanding informs the rationale behind the appointment of the presidential panel of experts on land reform in September 2018. The panel’s aim was to provide advice to an interministerial committee on land reform, which I chair.
The urgency of resolving the land question after 25 years of democracy, underscores the importance of is important for achieving spatial transformation and human development for the landless majority.
The panel’s final report was completed in July. It spoke of how the failure to correct the land question — which has left "83% of urban/peri-urban dwellers resid[ing] on 2% of the land" — was unsustainable.
It is this condition that has provided a fertile ground for social discord and political instability, resulting in illegal land occupations, urban sprawl and the systemic exclusion of the majority — mostly women and the youth — from productive means of economic self-empowerment.
It is an unfortunate fact that the bulk of the land in this country is still in the hands of the very few. And the market-led mechanism of pursuing land reform has proven cumbersome, protracted and inappropriate.
Addressing land reform is an existential and material imperative. It is meant to unleash the potential of land as a tool for gaining livelihoods, agriculture, integrated human settlement and industrial use.
The Global Land Tool Network, which is endorsed by UN-Habitat, makes clear that "secure land tenure and property rights are fundamental to poverty reduction, economic prosperity and sustainable development".
Encouragingly, there is now a growing consensus — including from business and across political party lines — to endorse a transparent land reform programme.
However, what remains contentious, and in need of further discussion, is whether to curtail the concentration of land in the hands of a few individuals or families through a "land ceiling".
The advisory panel also said expropriation without compensation would be appropriate in certain circumstances. These include where there is unused state land; land that is "hopelessly indebted"; where it was "obtained through criminal activity"; "inner-city buildings with absentee landlords"; "land donations"; and "farm equity schemes".
In some instances, the goodwill towards land reform has been underlined by the fact that mining houses, commercial farmers and other civil society organisations have voluntarily donated arable land. Were we to see more benevolent action along these lines, in support of government-led policies, it would go a long way to revive the spirit of nation-building that Nelson Mandela envisioned.
The opposite is also true, however. Any failure to work together will retard our efforts to build a united and prosperous nation. And it would create a perception that we are not serious in achieving equitable distribution of economic benefits.
So, we must be bold in responding to the reality of our economic situation and not be afraid to implement those policies — including land expropriation without compensation — that would bring economic opportunities for all.
In the final analysis, the prospects for our shared destiny are largely dependent on our ability to resolve the land question in a responsible and fair manner.
• Mabuza is the deputy president of SA and chair of the interministerial committee on land reform
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