The development of a post-settlement support framework agricultural land reform projects in South Africa

Abstract

After the fall of the Apartheid regime in 1994, South Africa was presented with a myriad of reform challenges that originated due to a segregational rule. Distribution of land to those who were previously disadvantaged would become and is increasingly becoming a major challenge that the African National Congress (ANC) led government would need to address. Land reform progress and performance has become a key indicator of the African National Congress’ ability to govern after more than two decades as the majority party. The African National Congress led Government of South Africa proposed a target to redistribute thirty percent of agricultural land which was owned by the white minority by the year 2014, however as of 2012, only seven percent had been redistributed with an estimated ninety percent of the farms redistributed to black farmers no longer in commercial production (Lund, 2012). Numerous factors have been attributed to land reform failure in South Africa, including but not limited to, settlement support after receiving the land. Broadly speaking, the processes leading of land reform is categorised into two fundamental categories namely; pre-settlement project fundamentals or criteria and secondly postsettlement support. The lack of or inadequate post-settlement support systems and programs is identified as a major constraint to land reform success. This research effort is aimed at gaining an understanding of what exactly the post-settlement support programs and targeted intervention are and designing an appropriate support framework that aims to reduce land reform failures and ultimately contributing to land reform success, a more inclusive rural economy and a food secure South Africa. Lumet and Qualm quote Hall in their 2012 research as saying, “Land reform has become heavy on political rhetoric and short on detail.” Whilst the ANC led government has ended the ‘willing buyer willing seller’ policy and is looking to introduce other policies to expedite land reform settlements, a significant void exists in the detail regarding post-settlement support of land reform beneficiaries to ensure success and to maintain the productivity of the reformed farms. This study aims at creating a post-settlement support framework which will add some detail as described as lacking above. Ten research questions were formulated in which the answers to the questions collectively provide insight into the post-settlement support systems required for enhanced success. The research questions are not all directly related to the post-settlement function, but also speak to other factors that need to be adequately addressed for the post-settlement function to be framed successfully. The literature review aimed at providing a backdrop to the history of land reform policies, the success and failures thereof, but more importantly it sets the scene in which an efficient post-settlement support framework must prevail. According to the interpretivist paradigm, it is assumed “that social reality is in our minds, and is subjective and multiple” (Collis & Hussey, 2009). Social reality is therefore affected by the act of investigating it. The research involves an inductive process with a view to providing an interpretive understanding of social phenomena within a particular context” (Collis & Hussey, 2009). The research effort uses an exploratory case study method. This selected method was the best approach to use to achieve the research objectives, to answer the research questions, and to test the listed propositions. The purposeful sampling unit in this study refers to land reform projects which have been in existence for five years or longer since settlement. These black emerging farmers or farmer groups are beneficiaries of the South African governments’ land reform programme and they are therefore also beneficiaries of the post-settlement support functions. Purposeful sampling involves identifying and selecting individuals or groups of individuals that are especially knowledgeable about or experienced with a phenomenon of interest while Spradley (1979) notes the importance of availability and willingness to participate, and the ability to communicate experiences and opinions in an articulate, expressive and reflective manner