Bold and decisive steps must be taken to reverse the legacy of the Native Land Act of 1913

IOL News

20-06-2025

Land reform successes have produced jobs and generated income, but more needs to be done.
Image: AFP
Bold and decisive steps must be taken to reverse the legacy of the Native Land Act of 1913, says Mzwanele Nyhontso, the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development.
He said the Native Land Act of 1913 which became law in South Africa on June 19, (Act No. 27 of 1913), left an indelible mark on the history of South Africa.
'This legislation had a profound and devastating impact on the lives of black people. It was a calculated, cruel instrument and strategy of mass dispossession, that successfully entrenched racial segregation and economic inequality,' Nyhontso said.
Land dispossession
The Native Land Act, restricted black South Africans to only 7% of the land, forcing them into so called 'native reserves' while reserving the rest of land for white minority ownership. The minister added that through the prohibition of black South Africans from owning land outside the designated so called native reserves, the act stripped millions of their ability to sustain themselves, their families and communities through farming which was the main economic activity.
'The immediate aftermath of the passing of the Native Land Act was the violent and merciless eviction of people from their land, their cattle and crops were confiscated and their homes were destroyed. Up until that point in history, the African had led a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. Black people were stripped of their dignity, effectively forcing them into exploitative farm labour contracts. The act laid the foundation for the migrant system that provided a constant supply of cheap labour for the mines and industries,' the minister added.
Undoing the damage
The Department said it is committed to reversing this legacy, by ensuring appropriate legislation, policies and programmes are implemented. It added it will intensify its efforts to restore land rights to the historically dispossessed and the equitable redistribution of land.
In South Africa, where youth unemployment remains stubbornly high, reaching over 45% of people between the ages of 15 and 34 years, the land reform programme is quietly emerging as a source of employment opportunities and playing an important role in economic development, says the Vumelana Advisory Fund.
The organisation said the story of land reform is taking a turn, with some pockets of successes unfolding where young people are leveraging restituted land as a strategy for employment creation and economic transformation.
Success stories
Peter Setou, Chief Executive of Vumelana said: 'Over time, we've seen the CPP model consistently deliver tangible results and meaningful impact for beneficiaries of the land reform programme. These pockets of success highlight the model's potential. The challenge now is to scale these successes to unlock similar outcomes with other beneficiaries of the land reform programme across the country.'
Since its inception, Vumelana said it has supported 26 land reform projects leveraging its transaction advisory support programme and capacity building and institutional support programme. The programme provides the beneficiary communities with access to required resources while negating the need to give up ownership of the land or wait for government grants. The transaction advisory support programme facilitates commercially viable, mutually beneficial partnerships between land reform beneficiary communities and private investors that create jobs, generate income and transfer skills.
These successful land reform programmes such as the 151 hectare Moletele-Matuma farm in Limpopo, the Barokologadi-ERP Melorane Game Reserve partnership in North West and the Mkambati Nature Reserve Tourism partnership were said to be examples of success stories resulting from their interventions, where they have collectively managed to create over 2,500 jobs that benefitted over 16,000 households, mobilised over R1 billion in investments and developed approximately 76,000 hectares of land.