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In 1994, the first multi-racial South African parliament passed the Restitution of Land Rights Act 22, aimed at land redistribution to Black individuals who lost their property because various mechanisms from the 1913 Natives Land Act, and other institutional and informal racial discrimination.1 Since the implementation of the act, however, the South African government is struggling to bring about land reform and redistribution to the qualified Black claimants. In 2018, the majority African National Congress party had managed to redistribute only seven percent of its agricultural land.2
Land grabbing in the South African context refers to the ways in which Blacks grab land back, by illegally building and then occupying informal housing or slums on land they wish to claim.3 The African National Congress resolved to encourage land expropriation without compensation during its 54th Elective Conference, and tabled the motion in the Parliament, which was voted in by the house.
These land grabs are a source of contention between the African National Congress and the Economic Freedom Fighters party. The former is focused on agricultural land redistribution, the while the latter wants all land in the country to be nationalized, and openly encourages illegal land grabbing.4
Image source:
Unknown. “5 Areas in Gauteng That Are Currently Subject to the EFF’s Land Grabs.” Accessed March 6, 2022.
References
1. “Land Reform | South African Government.” Accessed March 6, 2022. https://www.gov.za/issues/land-reform.
2. “Another Land Grab in Durban | ENCA.” Accessed March 6, 2022. https://www.enca.com/south-africa/another-land-grab-hits-durban.
3. Sauti, Gloria, and Mamadou Lo Thiam. “The Land-Grabbing Debacle: An Analysis of South Africa and Senegal.” Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies 41, no. 1 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5070/F7411042305.
4. Unknown. “5 Areas in Gauteng That Are Currently Subject to the EFF’s Land Grabs.” Accessed March 6, 2022. https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/231543/5-areas-in-gauteng-that-are-currently-subject-to-the-effs-land-grabs/.
1. “Land Reform | South African Government.” Accessed March 6, 2022. https://www.gov.za/issues/land-reform.
2. “Another Land Grab in Durban | ENCA.” Accessed March 6, 2022. https://www.enca.com/south-africa/another-land-grab-hits-durban.
3. Sauti, Gloria, and Mamadou Lo Thiam. “The Land-Grabbing Debacle: An Analysis of South Africa and Senegal.” Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies 41, no. 1 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5070/F7411042305.
4. Unknown. “5 Areas in Gauteng That Are Currently Subject to the EFF’s Land Grabs.” Accessed March 6, 2022. https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/231543/5-areas-in-gauteng-that-are-currently-subject-to-the-effs-land-grabs/.