South Africa nearing first white farm expropriations
Fri Apr 21, 2006 12:15 PM GMT

By Andrew Quinn

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa is ready to order its first expropriation of white-owned farms and has identified 355 properties it may seize if price talks with farmers fail, a senior land official said on Friday.

Chief Land Claims Commissioner Tozi Gwanya said the government was determined to speed land reform and that expropriations -- with farmers compelled to accept government payment for their land -- now seemed almost inevitable.

"We have achieved a lot through negotiations, but the farmers are abusing this process by dragging it out," Gwanya said in an interview.

"We are saying this cannot go on forever. Within six months if we don't have agreement we will be taking the next step."

Gwanya said that process was already under way for the first farm targeted near Lichtenberg in North West Province, with officials drawing up an expropriation submission for the Land Affairs Department.

"That should be done by early next week," he said, adding years of talks had failed to bridge the huge gap between the price the farmer demanded and that which the government was willing to pay.

South Africa can expropriate white-owned farms without a court order under laws aimed at returning land to black communities or individuals dispossessed under decades of apartheid and white colonial rule.

But the government, wary of fanning fears of a chaotic Zimbabwe-style land grab, has so far concentrated on a willing-buyer, willing-seller approach with farmers persuaded to accept the government's purchase offer.

Critics say this approach has dramatically slowed the redistribution of land in South Africa, where more than a decade after the end of apartheid much of the best farmland remains in the hands of the white minority.

This year President Thabo Mbeki identified land reform as a government priority, signalling a tougher line in order to meet a goal of settling all outstanding land claims by March 2008.

NEGOTIATIONS UNDER WAY

Gwanya said negotiations were still under way over the 355 farms identified nationwide as the first candidates for expropriation, and the government hoped to reach sale agreements in most cases.

"Some of these farmers are willing to be part of the future, they are willing to be strategic partners and support the new land owners," he said.

But he added that many other landowners remained reluctant, and in these cases the expropriation process could begin within the next six months.

"We will give them letters of notice of expropriation and tell them this is what we are going to do if you don't reach a price agreement. After that notice they will be given 30 days in which they put their case to us ... if we are not satisfied we will then send a final letter saying we are taking the land at a certain price."

Gwanya said the government's price offer was based on independent valuation of the property, but that farmers using their own valuers often came up with prices twice as high in an effort to thwart the process.

South Africa, the continent's biggest economy, wants to put 30 percent of farm land in black hands by 2014 but so far the government has reached just under 4 percent of its target.

Critics say that along with moving too slowly, the land reform programme has neglected to provide new black farmers with sufficient training or support -- sometimes resulting in sharp drops in production following land transfer.

SA going down the shitter! What a surprise.

Black empowerment. Can the US be far behind?

It appears to me this is a classic business case case senario, wherby the buyer wants to negotiate the cheapest price for the asset, and the seller wants the opposite.

The core problem is whom is able to assess the true value of the asset and therin lies the problem, that is why it went to court.

The only problem ultimately for the seller is that the government by virtue of their (two thirds) or close to that majority in parliament are essentially holding most of the cards as ultimately even through there is a legal court system in SA the government is able to tamper and change laws legally to suit their agenda.

What I understood is, the vast majority of land claim have gone through the system without heartache or even going to court as it only goes to court if the land owner wants to challenge the claim. A lot have not challenged and taken the loot happily !!

There are also other legal ways and means of skinning the cat, which entails some form of BEE scenario deal which can work well in some cases. Bring in some black chap shareholders and the likes ...

Basically ( like it or not) when the Hurricane is blowing it is not that wise to try and p..s into the prevailing wind, it might be easier to go downwind (-:

Cheers, Peter

Watch out South Africa - same old movie - coming soon to a theatre near you.... buy U.S.$!!!

quote:

Can the US be far behind?

Will - The US already is seeing the affects of land redistribution thanks to the wisdom of our Supreme Court - see Kelo vs. New London.

When a country's Government doesn't recognize private property rights it undermines it's citzens' will to develope their assets to the fullest. Both the "givee" and the reciever of such an operation ultimately feel cheap and cheated, one for being stolen from, the other for being denied the ability to earn it on his own. In many parts of the world where this has been tried the result is often disaster to the individuals and society as a whole.
Boy I feel better now, these soapboxes are always a bit shaky to stand on.

This will be comming to a theater near you in the southwestern US. As the illegal immigrants gain voting rights and elect enough representives the feds will proceed down the same road.

You can just hear it now.

"My great-great-grandfather owned this land and ..."

First Texas, then Arizona, ...., then Kansas!Expropriations are only FAIR!

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
You can just hear it now.

"My great-great-grandfather owned this land and ..."

Right on Will-

Hey, if you believe in evolution--then we are all "African descendants". So why don't all AR members put in a claim for all of East Africa, then we could all get together and form one huge hunting preserve! ya! now we are talking!!

Dont forget POSSESION is 9/10ths of the law PROVIDED you have the fire power..

So therin lies the lesson ... keep up your FIRE POWER and then you might have the means to defend what you truly believe is yours

Dont take anything for granted in this ever changing world

Cheers

Peter