SA land reform programme has been a ‘policy failure’, says Nelson Mandela Foundation
The foundation has filed papers in the Western Cape High Court suing government for failing to redistribute land equally.
Picture: 123rf/Michael Turner
JOHANNESBURG - The Nelson Mandela Foundation says the country’s land reform programme has been a “policy failure”.
The foundation has filed papers in the Western Cape High Court suing the government for failing to redistribute land equally.
It said the government has not taken reasonable steps to address the country’s historic land dispossession, as mandated by Section 25 of the Constitution.
The 80-page court application by the Nelson Mandela Foundation details the history of South Africa’s colonial and apartheid past.
It outlines how the apartheid government, through force and legislation, dispossessed black people of their land.
The papers also address several interventions from the democratic government to redistribute land, which the foundation said have all failed to meet muster.
“We encourage the leadership of the country to act with the kind of courage that Madiba [Nelson Mandela] is renowned for,” said the foundation’s CEO, Mbongiseni Buthelezi.
“We call upon organisations, movements, and individuals around the country to walk the journey to achieving equitable land access with us.”
The foundation wants the court to compel Parliament to draw up legislation and a plan to carry out land reform.