“Thankfully, there is growing recognition that land reform cannot be viewed in isolation from broader economic development. When communities gain access to land, that is only the beginning.

"The challenge and opportunity lie in ensuring that the land becomes a source of economic benefit, creates jobs, exposes communities to access markets and enables skills development,” Setou said.

The non-profit organisation established to help communities in the land reform programme put their land to productive use said resolving the land question is not only morally and politically right but also an economic imperative in a country that has gained the reputation of being ranked the most unequal society in the world by the World Bank.

It said with a staggering 41.9% of the local population swelling the ranks of the unemployed in the last quarter of last year, according to Stats SA’s expanded definition of unemployment, which includes those discouraged from seeking work.

Setou said the increasingly uncertain geopolitical developments, the looming spectre of US-initiated debilitating trade wars, soaring tariffs and the possible termination of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which grants African nations duty-free access to the lucrative US market, adds credence not only for an accelerated land reform programme, but the deliberate enablement of rural economies and the empowerment of beneficiary communities.

He said this would enable them to make their land productive to ensure that they can effectively participate in commercial agriculture, eco-tourism and other broader economic areas within the land value chain.

“The potential of land ownership to slam the brakes on the scourge of unemployment and deepening levels of poverty has been acknowledged by the National Development Plan (NDP), which envisaged agriculture as the sector that has the potential to create close to 1 million new jobs by 2030.

"The attainment of this ambitious plan hinges on the implementation of tailored, post-settlement support programmes that can attract much-needed investment and on fostering skills transfer and development and ensuring financial sustainability of the land,” Setou said.

landexpropriation

The true value of land: it's not who owns it, but how it's used