Budget 2017
RURAL DEVELOPMENT: Not on a par with land reform talk
The renewed call for land reform requires defined, actionable programmes and a clear timetable. Without this, success is unlikely
Land reform, or rather the lack thereof, doesn’t get much attention in this year’s budget despite being one of the key issues raised in President Jacob Zuma’s state of the nation (Sona) address earlier in February. Land reform was singled out in that speech as one of the ANC’s 12 urgent tasks to achieve what the president called "radical economic transformation". Industry commentators have long argued that if there is to be a greater emphasis on land reform, there must also be a substantial increase in government funding. However, this hasn’t happened yet. The 2017/2018 budget allocation for agriculture, rural development and land reform is up less than 3% to R26.53bn and still represents less than 2% of total government expenditure. Though the budget allocation is set to rise to nearly R30bn in 2019/2020, most of the increased spending will go towards stimulating rural development and food production.
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.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.