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Rural development and land reform is a post-colonial reconstruction and development programme, this assertion is premised on the assumption that colonialism is about land dispossession and indigenous cultural denudation. Apartheid, as colonialism of a special type, deprived our people of ownership and control of wealth in such a manner that our communities were deliberately impoverished and turned into reservoirs of cheap labour. Anti-colonialism struggles, therefore, are about land repossession and restoration of indigenous culture, and these two are integrally linked.

The Freedom Charter, the Reconstruction and Development Programme, as well the Constitution, specifically Chapter 2 thereof, are specific interventions at addressing this post-colonial reconstruction and development. The Freedom Charter stated that ‘the land shall be shared among those who work it!' Whilst the Reconstruction and Development Programme was aimed at meeting basic needs, urban and rural development, democratisation and institutional reform, and economic restructuring. The Constitution guarantees fundamental human rights which ensures that all citizens have equal rights, more so, rights that enshrine our commitment of a better life for our people, society and nation.

The Polokwane resolutions, following on the foundations laid by the Freedom Charter, the RDP, and the Constitution, call on us to further the struggle against the effects of the both colonialism and apartheid, by emphasising that rural development, land and agrarian reform need to be put on the priority list, and that the focus should be on food production and food security, as well as effective and sustainable post-settlement support to land reform beneficiaries.

Our vision for rural development is ‘vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities'.

The strategy is agrarian transformation, meaning rapid fundamental change in the relations (systems and patterns of ownership and control) of land, livestock, cropping and community.

Rural Social Infrastructure

Rural Economic Infrastructure

Rural economic infrastructure refers, but is not limited to, development in terms of roads, railways, revitalisation of irrigation schemes, dipping tanks, fencing, community gardens and production/marketing stalls and revitalising of small rural towns. Whilst rural social infrastructure refers, but not limited to, the erection of bridges, ICT infrastructure, communication networks, multi-purpose centres, clinics, water antricity etc. Community refers to unity in diversity, a way of life, a system of communal living in terms of sharing resources and a sense of shared values despite cultural differences.

Rural development is about enabling rural people to take control of their destiny, thereby dealing effectively with rural poverty through the optimal use and management of natural resources and indigenous knowledge, whilst Land reform is a national priority and is further entrenched in Section 25 (4) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, focusing on a three-pronged land reform programme aiming at tenure reform, restitution and land redistribution. In this regard, we will undertake a review of the land tenure systems reform, as a key intervention in addressing the skewed land ownership patterns in our country.

The strategic objective of rural development is social cohesion and development. Social cohesion indicating a return to Ubuntu (human solidarity) which is the transversal indigenous culture in Africa. Whilst development means shared growth and prosperity, full employment, equity and equality and cultural progress.

In order to make quick in roads in rural development, we aim to implement the following immediate tasks:
Sustainable Land reform, meaning the review of the land tenure system and implementation of a strategic land acquisition strategy;
Food security for all, by recapitalising farms in distress and the creation of a culture of production discipline;
Rural development and sustainable livelihoods, by developing rural infrastructure, natural resource conservation and disaster management and mitigation;
Job creation linked to skills training, by implementing the CRDP job creation model (in conjunction with the Department of Public Works) as well as training and capacity building initiatives.
In the medium to long term we would implement our programme in three phases.

Phase I, could be regarded as an incubator or nursery stage of the programme. This entails meeting basic human needs as driver and breaking the back of hunger. We need to energise our people so that they are able to be full participants in all efforts at pulling them out of poverty.

Phase II, could be regarded as the entrepreneurial development stage, relatively large-scale infrastructure development as driver. The focus here is enterprise development and food security.

Phase III, is the stage of the emergence of industrial and financial sectors - driven by small, micro and medium enterprises and village markets.

In conclusion, it is important to note that rural development and land reform isn't just an ordinary programme, it is fundamental for the thoroughgoing social transformation, yet it is a pipedream without land in the hands of the people. It is the intention of the Green Paper process to open discussions on the question of land in South Africa. The Green Paper will argue that land is a national asset which should be recognised as such by the Constitution.