Farmers should get involved in the land reform process to avoid being blamed for land reform failures, said Agri SA’s government convener Borrie Erasmus.
“There is a concerted effort to put the blame for land reform failures on commercial farmers and to rouse suspicions about the commitment of organised agriculture regarding land reform,” he said. “One countermeasure is for organised agriculture to increasingly involve itself with local decision making.”
“I expect the misplaced blame placed on commercial agriculture for the slow and often unsuccessful land reform delivery to increase in the near future,” said Erasmus. “Agri forums should be put in place to ensure ongoing discussions with all roleplayers. Continuous dialogue is the only way we can influence perceptions about the decisions that need to be taken. It’s highly unlikely local municipalities will be able to manage land reform at all without input from commercial agriculture.”
“The possibility that local authorities will hike property tax to finance land reform must be diligently monitored,” Erasmus warned. “Funds for land reform are supposed to be sourced from the fiscus, but in most cases municipalities to try obtain funds through tax hikes. Organised agriculture should be aware of that.” – Annelie Coleman
