The land debate

April 2018

JANNIE DE VILLIERS, CEO

I must admit that I am really proud of the manner in which the members of Grain SA handled and discussed the issue of land expropriation without compensation during Congress 2018. For me it was an important breakthrough in which the middle ground between left and right emotions won the day. May this be a forerunner of what is still to come!

In all the media debates by the so called ‘specialists’ in our community which I followed, one analysis brought my thoughts to a halt: Our 1994 Constitution is in principle based on restorative justice, while some of the participants in the current debate want to turn the property rights clause into a punitive justice matter.

The rainbow nation dream of 1994 generated emotions in people that has the potential to bring healing to the broken relationships in the country. There is healing in forgiveness and absolution, but there is bitterness and revenge where healing does not happen.  As far as I am concerned, this goes quite a lot further than just the manner in which expropriation must take place.

Grain SA sufficiently confirmed that expropriation is found in Constitutions all over the world and is being practised as such, and that we understand it. The keyword giving rise to all the emotions, is the ‘without compensation’ matter. It is not loaded with restoration but with retribution.

Is it the need of some that white people must be punished, or is the real need farm land on which to farm? It was interesting to note that the land occupation by members of the red berets recently in Olievenhoutbos was not focused on agricultural land, but on land for housing. I also wonder whether the choice of land was not only based on the easy access to the spot for the media in order to make the headlines, or was it based on their specific needs?

I definitely did not get the impression that these people really wanted to farm. Can these people not be assisted to get houses with title deeds? We regularly hear about the Free Market Foundation’s initiatives in this regard, but I do not see that the State is participating with the same enthusiasm to support our urbanised population with title deeds. 

I have already heard from a large number of producers who would definitely give assistance for their workers to obtain property rights – and not just occupational rights – of houses in town. 

What I did notice is that this idea of expropriation without compensation has definitely shifted some ground plates. Many role-players are thinking far outside the fixed thought frameworks of the past 20 years to search for new solutions. That is a gain. I remain firmly convinced that it is time for organised agriculture to put forward a solution.

The fact that we have not yet succeeded in settling sufficient numbers of commercial scale black producers, is merely because we have left the process largely in the hands of the State. The financial institutions were caught in the regulatory frameworks and must now come forward with solutions that will even change the framework, to expedite financing.

I trust that in a few years when we look back over 2018 and 2019 we will be proud of what we have achieved to save our country from ruin. A few very important meetings have been called for the end of March, which I believe, will be indicative of what the future holds.

The mere existence of an organisation like Grain SA is an important building block to give direction for the future. Thank you for everyone’s contribution and good luck to all our negotiators. 

Publication: April 2018

Section: Features