SA’s age-old land tenure problem needs tech solutions, not shortcuts
In addressing land registration, all voices must be heard and all statutory and customary laws respected
More than three decades since the first democratic elections, SA has yet to crack the land tenure conundrum. Three in five South Africans still do not have their land or property rights recorded or registered, according to the 2019 Advisory Panel on Land Reform & Agriculture. The situation is contributing to poverty, hunger and even political violence.
This is not for want of trying. As Agricultural Business Chamber of SA chief economist and Business Day columnist Wandile Sihlobo points out, there have been several initiatives to redress a past that saw Africans systematically dispossessed of their land, first through colonialism and then through apartheid laws. However, for every success there is another story of failure. The issue of land tenure remains complicated, especially in rural areas where it is intertwined with customary law and the powers of traditional leaders...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
This article is free to read if you sign up or sign in.
If you have already registered or subscribed, please sign in to continue.
Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.