Since 1994, the government has obtained a total of 8,2 million hectares of land by means of the land reform processes of restitution and redistribution. Thus far, these processes have cost the country R39,2 billion. On top of that, in 93% of all successful land claims, claimants opted for financial compensation and not the land.
This statistic, which came to light through parliamentary questions that were addressed to the Minister of Rural development and Land reform, reveals the truth about land in South Africa.
And yet the ANC and President Cyril Ramaphosa keep telling the world that it is necessary to expropriate land without compensation so as to rectify the “injustices” of the past and because “the masses are land hungry”.
This statistic, however, makes it clear that “the masses” are not pining for land, but for money, and that so far the process was basically seen as an easily way to make money.
In addition, the government admits that it is in possession of nearly all the land that was bought with taxpayers’ money over the last 24 years.
Thus, the millions of hectares of land that was bought and paid for over the last 24 years can be redistributed over the next 24 years without it costing one more cent and without having to expropriate or buy a single hectare from anyone.
The government admits that it owns approximately 17 million hectares of land.
In an answer to the FF Plus’s latest questions, it came to light that more than 3,3 million hectares were obtained since 1994 by means of the restitution process and 4,9 million hectares by means of the redistribution process. That adds up to a total of 8,2 million hectares.
The restitution process amounts to R21,6 billion and the redistribution process to R17,6 billion. With regard to restitution, a total amount of R13,5 billion was paid out to the claimants who preferred money over the land.
The above mentioned also serves as proof of the fact that the ANC is deliberately misleading the public by pretending that farmers are one of the main reasons for why the land reform process is dragging on and why land prices are inflated.
Seeing as 93% of the claimants opted for the money and not the land, the government was in most cases forced to first pay the farmer and then pay the claimants for the same piece of land and that is the real reason for why the price of a single piece of land is so very high. In some cases, the price was thus inflated with up to 63%.
According to the parliamentary answer, this amount adds up to R13,5 billion. The seller has nothing to do with this. The government has also admitted that it is presently in possession of 4000 farms that can be used for redistribution.
The government also admits that 90% if the previous redistribution programmes failed. Those farms are also in the government’s possession.
The ANC government is busy misleading the country and the rest of the world concerning the reality of land reform in South Africa. The party is willing to hold a flame over a gunpowder barrel, to scare off investors and to jeopardise food security all in an attempt to cover up its failure as government and to attract voters to the poll.
The party is misleading the public by saying that expropriation without compensation is the only way to speed up the redistribution of land.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Dr Pieter Groenewald on FF Plus
South Africa Today – South Africa News
