There are 2 million hectares of state farmland sitting idle



07 Aug 2024  0





In his journey
across the heartlands of the Karoo, Wandile Sihlobo meets with some of the
black farmers who are still waiting for title deeds on land currently owned by
the state. And he laments the condition of failing municipal infrastructure
that he encounters along the way.





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In his Opening of Parliament Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa
stated that the government “will increase funding to land reform, prioritise
the transfer of state land and improve post-settlement support by strengthening
the institutional capacity of responsible structures”. 



This profound statement is at the heart of South Africa’s
agricultural inclusive growth agenda. Over time, the South African government
has amassed more than two million hectares of land that have never been
released to beneficiaries with title deeds or long-term tradable leases. These
now mostly underutilised government-owned farms were acquired through the
proactive land acquisition strategy, and sat in the government landholding
account.



Many black farmers we interact with on our journey tell stories of
frustration and the inability to expand and commercialise farming operations
because of a lack of secure access to land.



In instances where they have access to the land, the short-term
leases with which the government provides them hinder access to capital and
expanding their farming operations into commercial and viable businesses that
could create sustainable jobs for communities.



To verify all these claims and stories, I went undercover to the
Karoo to visit some of these government farms.





Wandile Sihlobo opens a gate to a government farm in the Karoo.
(Photo: Wandile Sihlobo)



This farmer is successful and has proven himself worthy of farming
in the harsh environment of the Karoo. He receives good support from organised
agriculture and the provincial government and runs a sustainable commercial
farming unit. Thus, a case arose that the farmer was an ideal candidate to
receive title deeds that would enable him to raise more funds and expand the
farming operation.



There are many more such cases across South Africa. These farmers
have proven themselves to be ideal candidates for land beneficiaries.
Transferring the land to them would precisely mimic the scheme the National
Party government undertook in the 1940s.



Back then, farmers were put on state land and given a five-year
lease arrangement to prove themselves, with the first two years rent free. In
year five, if they were farming successfully, they could buy the land at a
discounted price and were provided affordable finance through the Land Bank,
which was capitalised by the state.  



In the present day, we see a different approach to farmer
development. In some cases where farmers have succeeded despite insecure lease
arrangements, they are unceremoniously and illegally removed from the farms by
corrupt officials in the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development.



This lack of secure tenure to land is one factor contributing to
South Africa’s long-standing challenge of duality, a topic discussed in greater
detail in my recent book A Country of Two Agricultures.



Many black farmers we interact with tell stories of frustration
and their inability to expand and commercialise farming operations because of a
lack of secure access to land.



In instances where they have access to the land, the short-term
leases the government provides them with hinder access to capital and expanding
their farming operations into commercial and viable businesses that could
create sustainable jobs for communities.



Service delivery and infrastructure maintenance



After interacting with farmers, I decided to drive to some small
towns of the Karoo to see if the provincial and local governments are doing
their part in maintaining roads, service delivery, and improving the quality of
life of our people.



If we are to talk about agritourism, profitability of the farming
business, education and the social well-being of families, adequate and
effective service delivery is a bedrock of everything. Failure to deliver this
critical function adds costs to family farms and agribusinesses, creating a
sense of despair in the communities.



I traversed parts of the Western and Northern Cape within the
Karoo region.



I must say, the Western Cape government has done a fair job of
maintenance on provincial roads and small gravel roads. This makes the journey
pleasurable for tourists in all vehicle types. Therefore, tourists should have
no concerns about road conditions across the province.



Importantly, better roads enable farmers to reliably deliver their
goods to markets, and easily go to church, and schools.



In the Northern Cape, there is room for improvement. The main
provincial roads are in fair condition and are continuously maintained,
bringing much-needed construction jobs to the towns and communities. Still, the
small gravel roads seem to have not seen a grader in a while. This makes
agritourism a challenge. Therefore, one can argue that the potential of tourism
is suboptimal in the province.



Moreover, delivering lamb to the abattoir, wool to the Chinese
market, becomes a cost burden to the farmers. The ultimate impact on both
tourism and agriculture is felt by communities through high levels of
unemployment and deepening poverty — leaving some towns with a sense of
despair.



Questions



Despite some encouraging signs, we would like the provincial
government of the Northern Cape to answer some questions about this incomplete
housing project, in an area that so deeply needs it. During our visit, we could
see spot signs and a few incomplete houses. Even more worrying, there were
people taking away the building material instead of offloading. One wonders
what is going on here.



Therefore, the task of changing this profound challenge is in our
hands. We need proper management of limited resources, we must weed out
corruption and bring capable individuals to municipalities with a sense of
urgency and purpose to serve the people.



The programme of action from municipalities and the provincial
government is clear — let’s get the basics right and focus on improving the
network industries, beautifying the towns, sorting out water infrastructure
issues, etc.



Some may wonder why I speak on matters of local government. The
reality is that they affect farmers and agribusiness. This has been clear for
some time in the Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index, where respondents (agribusinesses
and farmers) have consistently highlighted these matters as constraints to
business activity.



So, while I write from the Karoo, this is a reality across most
South African provinces and municipalities. Therefore, I cannot agree more with
President Ramaphosa’s latest statements that put effective provincial and local
government as one of the top priorities for the seventh administration.



We await and hope for better outcomes from the
administration. DM