Issued by: SA Communication Service
GREEN PAPER ON LAND REFORM TO BE RELEASED 1 FEBRUARY 1996
In South AFrica, as in many countries in the world, land has always been a sensitive issue. Questions of land ownership, distribution and use still arouse strong emotions and result in heated debate. Our history of conquest and dispossession, of forced removals and a racially-skewed distribution of land resources, has left us a complex and difficult legacy.
The mandate of the Department of Land affairs has been to contribute to the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) by developing a comprehensive and far-reaching land reform programme. The goal of the programme is to address the legacy of apartheid in relation to land distribution and to create security of tenure and certainty in relation to rights in land for all South Africans.
The Green Paper on Land Reform, which will be released on 1 February 1996, represents the current state of progress in carrying out this task. A central concern in making these proposals has been to translate a broad commitment to social justice, economic growth and the alleviation of poverty, into a set of concrete programmes, legislation and procedures for implementing land reform.
The policy proposals made in this document are, in part, an outcome of the experience of land policy implementation that has been developed through work on the ground since April 1994. They are, therefore, not the product of an academic exercise, but are based on the philosophy and guidelines that have directed the programmes of the Department of Land Affairs since April 1994.
The Green Paper is also the outcome of an extensive process of public consultation around land policy issues. In May 1995, the Department published a Framework Document of Land Policy which was widely distributed for public comment. Over 50 organisations, including farmers associations, NGOs, other Government departments and concerned individuals, responded to the Framework Document. Their comments were then incorporated into a Draft Statement of Land Policy Principles that was the object of discussion at the National Land Policy Conference held on 31 August and 1st September 1995.
This historic conference was attended by over 1 000 South Africans from all corners of our country and all walks of life. The bulk of delegates to the conference consisted of representatives of historically disadvantaged communities, many of them from remote rural areas. In the ensuing debates, participants voiced strongly-held, often opposing, views as to the correct way forward for land policy. The product of these processes of consultation, as well as our experience in implementing land reform to date, is the Green Paper.
All interest groups, organisations and individuals who are concerned with ensuring that our country's land policy is directed towards the achievement of equity, stability and growth should read the Green Paper closely and carefully. The Ministry and Department of Land Affairs would once again welcome comments on, and input to, the next stage in the process, which is the drafting of a White Paper. To facilitate this, a further round of public consultation is being organised at provincial level by the MECs responsible for land matters. These meetings will take place in march and will provide yet another means of eliciting public responses. The White Paper on Land Policy will be completed by June 1996.
Derek Hanekom Minister, Land Affairs
Copies of the Green Paper, embargoed for publication until 1 February 1996, will be available from Friday 26 January 1996 either from our offices at 184 Jacob Mare St Pretoria, or by e-mail. Please call us and we will ensure that you receive a copy as soon as possible.
CONTACT PEOPLE
Ministry
Hellmuth Schlenther 021 451282 Sarita Venter 012 3235212
Departmental Communications
Mariette Ebersohn 012 3128277 Wilma Teichmann 012 3128432 Elize Kruger 012 3128112
Maurice Smithers 012 3128353/8104 082 551 2796 e-mail mpsmithers@sghq.pwv.gov.za