Global Ag View: Land reform high on agenda in South African elections
Land reform was high on the agenda in the South African elections, as the governing African National Congress returned a reduced majority.
Alex Black
The ANC has been in power since 1994 but anger over the economy and corruption has hit its popularity.
The rise of the radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has placed land reform high up the agenda as a solution to poverty in the country.
The white minority still owns disproportionately more land than the black majority following apartheid.
The EFF has put pressure on the ANC to tackle land reform, with President Cyril Ramaphosa making it a priority, including taking land from white farmers without compensation.
In its 2019 election manifesto, the party said it would carry out a ‘sustainable’ land reform programme, expanding participation in agricultural production.
But the EFF vowed all land taken back would be under the custodianship of the state, for equal redistribution to all.
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It said it would redistribute the land so black people controlled the majority, with a minimum of 50 per cent controlled by women and young people.
The EFF thanked the electorate after increasing its vote by 70 per cent across the country.
EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said: “It is a sign that our revolution is on course and soon it shall be realised and accomplished.
“We therefore vow to continue the struggle with even higher intensity for the realisation of economic freedom in our lifetime.”
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