The Agri SA president, Johannes Möller said they agreed that local communities can be tasked to determine land reform needs per district. “Such committees could help in identifying available land as well as beneficiaries who should qualify for assistance and post-settlement support. A more comprehensive financing package for beneficiaries is also indispensable.”
However Möller said the controversial elements of the proposal dealt with a limitation on the state’s costs to acquire land, namely 50 percent of the market value, and the requirement that other land owners in the district should volunteer to cover the balance.
Agri SA’s Transformation Policy Committee planned to discuss the matter at its meeting later this month. “The challenge is to refrain from merely criticising a well-intentioned proposal and to come up with workable solutions to a complex issue,” Möller said.
