A BROKEN PROMISE
The big fat lie of the land
A key mission of the ANC has always been to deal with land reform and redistribution, but it has done precious little to meet even its modest goals, despite populist promises and ample provision in the constitution to get on with it
The urbane Mzwandile Zoya would hardly strike you as a wannabe farmer. But the Barbour-jacketed entrepreneur, who lives in Johannesburg yet describes himself as a "ruralitarian", has been trying to crack government’s land reform programme and get into farming, properly, since 2011 — with no success. Talking the Financial Mail through the process at his offices in Maboneng, east of the Joburg CBD, Zoya says: "The strategy document makes it sound very easy: you are supposed to identify the farm that you are interested in ... and you need to match your skills to that farm, your experience, your objectives — [say] livestock or crop production — and then you say to government: I’ve identified a farm. There’s a form that you need to give to the farmer; the farmer has to agree that they don’t mind selling that farm to government, and government buys the farm."Imagine the farmer and the state do strike a deal: now comes the involvement of district committees that evaluate applicants against...
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.