If only government would take notice of Mr Mashala’s arguments, namely that government should focus on the current farmers who want to work the land, we would have less tension between government and farmers, and a more positive vision for the future. At TAU SA we got the impression some time ago that the majority of black people, as is the case with white people, love the glittering lights of the cities.
That is perhaps the reason why ‘not enough’ land claims were registered when the restitution process started. But as government wants to look at landownership from a racial and so-called democratic point of view, it believes that landownership must reflect the population. This ideological and not economic point of view can lead to food insecurity.
Democracy is a political term indicating the ability of a country to elect the government of its choice. Democracy is not applicable on all sectors of society. The economy has its own rules, which are not necessarily democratic in terms of head counting. Mr Mashala shows very good insight into this reality, and for this he needs to be congratulated.
