A tale of two departments: Splitting agriculture and land reform

Lester Kiewit speaks to Dr Farai Mtero, a senior researcher from the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape, to discuss the recent separation of the Ministry of Agriculture from the Ministry of Land Reform and Rural Development.

During his cabinet announcement on Sunday, President Cyril Rampahosa confirmed the separation of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader will head up the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development will become the ministry of Mzwanele Nyhontso, the PAC leader.

The DALRRD was created in 2019 by the merger of the agriculture functions of the former Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform.

Its remit was broad, including agriculture, food safety, food security, land reform, and spatial planning.

So why the return to separate portfolios?

Mtero suggests it's largely a political move:

"I think the decision to separate agriculture and land reform reflects attempts to manage contentious politics and to create space for political parties that now constitute the Government of National Unity."

- Dr Farai Mtero, Senior researcher, Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) - University of the Western Cape

"I think it's about managing those political constituencies as well, and appeasing the different constituencies."

- Dr Farai Mtero, Senior researcher, Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) - University of the Western Cape

Mtero says it's also possible that the separation of the ministries plays to the political constituencies.

Agriculture has traditionally been viewed as the domain of white, Afrikaans South Africans, land reform, largely seen as addressing the injustices of the past.

"Before the portfolios were combined, there was a huge disconnect between land reform and agriculture."

- Dr Farai Mtero, Senior researcher, Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) - University of the Western Cape

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