Land Audit Report - November 2017

28th February 2018

Land Audit Report - November 2017

The Land Audit reveals the relationship of South Africans to one another through the management of land as a
resource for sustainable development and nation-building.

It shows that 114 223 276 ha or 94% of 121 924 881 ha land in the country is registered in the Deeds Office. The
outstanding 7 701 605 ha or 6% is unregistered trust state land in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo at 5 545 156
ha. The department has embarked on a process to survey, register and vest that state trust land to individual and
community owners via, among others, applicable legislative instruments.

The Land Audit also shows that individuals, companies, and trusts own 89 523 044 ha or 90% of the 114 223 276 ha
land. Individuals own 37 800 986 ha or 39% of this total land; followed by trusts at 29 291 857 ha or 31%; companies
at 23 199 904 or 25%; CBOs at 3 549 489 ha or 4%; and co-ownership at 883 589 ha or 1%. The same individuals
own most of these companies, trusts and CBOs.

Farms and agricultural holdings - with 469 258 or 6% of total land parcels and 111 025 515 ha or 97% of the total
land - are owned by 588 045 or 7% of total landowners.

Even in urban areas, which number 6 839 985 or 94% of total land parcels, with only have 3 197 760 ha or 3% of
the total land – are owned by 8 469 845 or 93% of the total owners of land, with an average of 0.4 ha per owner.
With 65% or 56 million of the total population found in these tiny land parcels, they command higher locational rent
and prices than any in the R8 trillion national property market.

The Land Audit reveals that Whites own 26 663 144 ha or 72% of the total 37 031 283 ha farms and agricultural
holdings by individual landowners; followed by Coloured at 5 371 383 ha or 15%, Indians at 2 031 790 ha or 5%,
Africans at 1 314 873 ha or 4%, other at 1 271 562 ha or 3%, and co-owners at 425 537 ha or 1%.

Individual males own 26 202 689 ha or 72% of the total farms and agricultural holdings owned by individual owners;
followed by females at 4 871 013 or 13%. Male-female own 3 970 315 ha or 11%, co-owners 655 242 ha or 2%, and
other 1 379 029 ha or 3%.

Finally, South African individuals own 33 996 255 ha or 92% of the total farms and agricultural holdings; followed
by foreign individuals at 769 284 ha or 2%; co-ownership at 933 728 ha or 2%; and other at 1 379 023 ha or 4%.

Report by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform