Communities, Entitlements and Nature Reserves: The Case of the Wild Coast, South Africa

Summary ‘Community?based sustainable development’ has become central to the development rhetoric of the new South Africa, whereby local communities are expected to be involved in decisions from which they were previously excluded. But how do such processes work in practice, especially where conflicts over resource use are much in evidence? Through a case study of the Mkambati area of the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape, this article explores how the interaction of social and ecological dynamics affects the livelihoods of the rural poor who live near protected conservation areas. Through the use of an environmental entitlements analysis, the case study shows how different social actors derive livelihoods from a range of natural resources and how access to and control over these resources is mediated by a set of interacting and overlapping institutions which are embedded in the political and social life of the area. An understanding of this complex set of institutional relationships is seen to be a vital precursor to establishing a framework for negotiation around competing claims, and the exploration of any co?management options for the nature reserve area

Understanding the resurgence of traditional authorities in post-apartheid South Africa

Drawing their power not from the ballot box but from a supposedly ancient wellspring of power, hereditary traditional authorities in postcolonial Africa have frequently posed challenges for incoming ‘democratic’ governments. The situation in post-apartheid South Africa is no different. However contentious their role under the colonial and apartheid systems of government was, the Constitution of the new South Africa (1996) recognised traditional authorities and afforded them opportunities for a political resurgence. This paper reviews the changing status of traditional authorities in the Eastern Cape Province over the twenty years since 1994. It explores the resurgence of the chiefs in relation to the consolidation of both democratic processes and of emergent, neo-patrimonial modes of government. It briefly considers the role of traditional authorities in three key and closely related spheres, namely the institution of the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders, the question of how gender is handled by and within traditional institutions, and the continuing challenges of land administration and development in rural areas. In all these spheres, and in the face of real opposition, the voice and influence traditional authorities have emerged stronger than ever. We conclude by suggesting that as they are drawn deeper into governance and have to play a formal role in addressing the myriad institutional challenges, new questions will and should be asked about the status and influence of traditional authorities, and their substantive contribution to democracy in South Africa

Elite capture and state neglect: new evidence on South Africa’s land reform

The most recent incarnation of South Africa’s land reform is a model of state purchase of farms to be provided on leasehold, rather than transferring title. This briefing presents headline findings from our field research in one district

Waking up from the dream: The pitfalls of 'fast-track' development on the Wild Coast

The main aim of this study was to explore the issues involved in reconciling the policy objectives of land reform, environmental conservation and the private sector profit-oriented rural development initiative in postapartheid South Africa. Rather than examining the conceptual framework of the projects being implemented, the study attempts to reveal shortcomings in the processes of development. The research was conducted in close collaboration with relevant departments, agencies and individuals driving processes of change in the area under consideration, although the independent nature of the work was not compromised

Land redistribution in South Africa: Towards decolonisation or recolonisation?

Contrary to populist political discourses, in South Africa the ruling party’s approach to land policy is reproducing paternalistic relations that echo apartheid practices and represent the ’colonial present’. This reality stands in stark contrast to the initial aim of land reform, which was conceived as part of a larger project of decolonisation. The latest land redistribution strategy, the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy, where the state remains the landowner, is no longer consistent with the project of decolonisation. This is because, we argue, land redistribution in South Africa has drifted away from the ideal of social justice; it increasingly displays symptoms of what the ’colonial present’ and ’recolonisation’. Party politics, as well as the emergence of a challenge to the ruling party from the left, has prompted a more radical rhetoric, but one that co-exists with deeply conservative practices. This paper argues that the status quo represents a betrayal of the idea of land reform as decolonisation, and that a radical shift in policy and practice is needed in order to align it with a project of decolonisation in South Africa

Radical land reform is key to sustainable rural development in South Africa

Sustainable rural development in 21st century South Africa will never be achieved without a radical assault on the structural underpinnings of poverty and inequality inherited from three centuries of oppression and exploitation. A large-scale redistribution of land and resources, accompanied by the securing of tenure rights in practice as well as in law, is required for long-term sustainability

Land reform and biodiversity conservation in South Africa: Complementary or in conflict?

This paper aims to improve understanding of the conflicts that have arisen between land reform and conservation, and to encourage better comprehension between the land and conservation sectors. It does this by analysing current experiences in South Africa with regard to land reform in conservation areas, and, through the use of case studies, exploring synergies and tensions which currently exist between these two seemingly disparate objectives. The paper draws heavily on the experiences of those who have been actively involved in the debates, analyses and negotiations concerning land reform in protected areas. This has been done through literature review, an analysis of case studies, and interviews. A major source of information was workshops held by the Department of Land Affairs (DLA), the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), and IUCN (The World Conservation Union)-South Africa, to discuss the matter. The first workshop was held in November 1997 and brought together key people from the land and conservation sectors. Its outcome was to catalyse further workshops and the development of a research project on which earlier drafts of this paper were based. Two further workshops were held in July and August 1998 for the land and conservation sectors respectively, and the fourth in September 1998 for both the land and conservation sectors. Information relating to the #Khomani and Mkambati case studies is based on long-term field research within the claimant communities by two of the authors (Ellis and Kepe respectively)

Local communities, equity and conservation in southern Africa: A synthesis of lessons learnt and recommendations from a southern African technical workshop

This publication reports on a technical workshop entitled ëCommunities and Conservation in Southern Africa: Key Issues and Challenges towards a more Equitable and Sustainable Futureí, which was held on 26ñ28 February 2003 in Pretoria, South Africa, in preparation for the World Parks Congress to be held in Durban in September 2003. The workshop sought to synthesise the extensive experience of southern African countries on community-based conservation and natural resources management into concrete inputs and recommendations for the World Parks Congress 2003

Cattle ownership and production in the communal areas of the Eastern Cape, South Africa

This report documents a study of the social and economic structure of cattle ownership and production in the communal tenure areas of the Eastern Cape (i.e. the former Bantustans of Transkei and Ciskei). The report begins with a review of the conventional arguments relating to cattle production systems in communal tenure areas, i.e. that they are inefficient and irrational. In seeking to challenge these pervasive assumptions concerning the way in which cattle production systems in these areas apparently work, it is argued, first, that very little systematic and detailed knowledge of these systems actually exists on which to base arguments that have had considerable impact and, second, that cattle ownership and production for African people in the Eastern Cape, quite apart from its obvious utility and cultural resonance, has been, for many decades, expressly about political-economic struggle against the state and its varied policies, which have had the effect – if not always the explicit intention – of the gradual proletarianisation of the rural population

Creating learning and action space in South Africa’s post-apartheid land redistribution program

This paper uses the case of South Africa’s latest land redistribution strategy known as the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy, to explore whether, and how, research can have direct and positive impacts on beneficiaries of land reform. The study is situated within the practice of action research: to explore how it can generate knowledge that can be shared back and forth between stakeholders, as well as how it may ignite changes that the participants desire. The findings are that Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy is not meeting the overall goals land reform. But action research has allowed the beneficiaries to emerge from the process with new knowledge about their rights, as well as what options they have to move forward in their fight for secure land rights and decent livelihoods. We introduce a concept of a ‘learning and action space’ to explain our practice of action research. The paper concludes that action research is a desirable approach for land reform, but while it succeeded in educating beneficiaries, it is only one ingredient in ongoing struggles to challenge power relations among citizens and between citizens and the state.IS