Page 15 - Our Land

OUR LAND
A new piece of Which political party has the most viable
solution for our land issue?
research on land Total Black Coloured Indian White
expropriation without
compensation, None
conducted by
Forum24, shows 3%
that South Africans 0% 3%
have a better grip 19%
23%
8%
on the issues facing 7%
our society than our 3%
11%
politicians would 4% 29%
probably like. Land
expert Peter Delius 1%
1%
breaks down the 0%
0%
findings Source: Forum24 0%
Fighters (EFF) beats its monotonous, if THE LAND
he public land debate is coloured by
inflamed rhetoric, crude proposals and
dire warnings. The Economic Freedom
hypnotic, drum of expropriation and
Tnationalisation. The Zulu king summons
the spirits of defeated Zulu regiments in veiled
threats of violence to protect his own narrow MYTH
interests. The president takes refuge behind biblical
imagery while the ANC leadership dithers. A self-
promoting deputy chair of the land committee calls
for 1 million new restitution claims to be lodged at the
risk of turning the current morass of unresolved
claims into a sinkhole of immeasurable proportions. Who should own the land on which we live?
Fortunately, a survey conducted by Media24 suggests
that, although the association of radical land reform Traditional leaders The state Individuals Households/families still ranked far below the other issues.
with quick fixes for profound problems has had some
effect, the public has a rather more sophisticated 3% 2% 2%
grasp of the issues than many political leaders think.
The survey was conducted by Forum24, Media24 11% 10% 16%
News’ in-house research unit. It used a panel method
and is not a representative random survey. The results
were weighted to the population who have online
access. The research offers a good spread of provinces, 35% 36% 29%
ages, ethnicity and income levels to give a view of
South African adults very close to the national profile
of the population.
Although it is suggestive rather than definitive, the
same methodology accurately predicted the outcome
of the 2016 local government elections. It differentiates 53%
the responses of blacks, coloureds, Indians and whites. 51% 52%
This terminology may offend some readers, but it does
provide a more nuanced view of attitudes.
The questions ranged from the very broad to the
more specific. The question “Do you want to farm?” Total Urban Peri-Urban Tribal
received support from 71% of the black population, Areas Areas
but it is so vaguely phrased that it is difficult to judge
what the responses imply. Do people living in town Source: Forum24
want to move to rural areas? Is the expectation that
people will be given viable commercial farms, or Do you believe the ANC is capable of
assisted to start household gardens on existing stands remedying the inequalities in land
or something in between? There is anecdotal evidence
that suggests some people would like to be given land ownership?
as an addition rather than an alternative to the Yes
current means of earning a living.
The evidence on expropriation without
compensation is much clearer: 75% of the sample
thinks that a change in the Constitution is required to
achieve this end, although 59% of the black population
feel this should be done with caution. A question on
whether expropriation without compensation was a
threat to the economy was supported by 54% of all 66% 67% 72%
respondents.
When broken down by ethnicity, this number
dropped to 46% among black people but climbed
steeply to 69% for coloured people, 71% for Indians
and 89% for whites. Most respondents wanted land
reform to have positive outcomes for economic
growth. Seventy-nine percent agreed that the main
purpose of land reform should be to provide food
security, jobs and exports. An even more overwhelming
majority – including 83% of blacks – believe that the 34% 33% 28%
most important role that white farmers can play is to
mentor new black farmers.
However, levels of support for the parties most
prominently engaged in the debates sits uneasily with Total Black Coloured Indian
these perspectives. The EFF is viewed by 33% of the Source: Forum24
15
75%
35% OF THE SAMPLE THINKS
29% THAT A CHANGE IN
59%
56% THE CONSTITUTION IS
57% REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE
33% THIS END, ALTHOUGH
42%
59%
OF THE BLACK POPULATION
FEEL THIS SHOULD BE DONE
WITH CAUTION. A QUESTION
ON WHETHER EXPROPRIATION
WITHOUT COMPENSATION WAS
33% 38% A THREAT TO THE ECONOMY
WAS SUPPORTED BY
54%
ISABELLA M AAKE, Graphics24 OF ALL RESPONDENTS
sample as having the most viable solution for our
land issue, the ANC trails at 19% and the Inkatha
Freedom Party barely registers with a mere 1%. But
the largest number – 35% – believes that none of the
parties offer a realistic solution.
These responses give a sense of the stormy surface
of the debate and the sometimes contradictory eddies.
However, other sections of the survey provide insights
into deeper and enduring currents of attitude and
aspiration. When asked to rank the most pressing
priorities for the country, controlling crime, improving
education and health services, reducing corruption and
creating jobs enjoyed support levels well above 80%.
Land reform lagged far behind with 44% support. It
did receive 53% support among black respondents, but
This pattern of priorities has been an enduring
6% feature of polling results since the 1990s. If land is not
specifically listed as an issue, its relative importance
20% 12% tends to be even lower on people’s lists of priorities.
The somewhat higher levels achieved in this survey
8% might reflect the growing emphasis on the land in
public debate. However, despite the presently high
32% profile of land reform, the vast majority of
33% respondents – including 68% of black people – still
think that it is more important to create jobs for
youngsters than to provide them with land.
While the EFF has the highest support for its
overall policies, the leadership might be a little
disconcerted to read that a mere 15% believe that the
50% land should be state-owned. The fact that only 4%
39% agreed that land should be owned by traditional
leaders – rising to a mere 6% in KwaZulu-Natal – will
probably do little to quiet the king’s bellicose rhetoric.
Rural However, the fact that 83% of black respondents
Areas Areas believe land should be held on an individual or family
basis should give pause for thought to those inclined
ISABELLA MAAKE, Graphics24 to prostrate themselves at the feet of traditional
leaders at the first whiff of royal resistance. Strong
support for the proposition that land reform should
include urban as well as rural land will encourage
political parties to think harder about the allocation
of land in and near towns and cities.
No The land debate has so far been conducted largely
in terms of competing slogans accompanied by, at
best, skeletal policy proposals. The public hearings
have, however, allowed individuals and communities,
deeply scarred by the dispossession of their land and
their interminable wait for its restitution, to express
their pain and anger. It is also likely that the land
60% issue has become for many people a shorthand
expression of their dashed expectations that the
74% coming of democracy would usher in a new era of
opportunity for all South Africans.
But the overwhelming and enduring priority that
the vast majority of South Africans place on
improvements in the control of crime, the quality of
healthcare and education, and levels of employment
should be a warning to leaders who routinely resort
to populist and inflammatory rhetoric.
40% Politicians who seek easy popularity through
simplistic proposals, racist rhetoric and the offer of
26% quick fixes might achieve short-term prominence, but
their support might evaporate like morning mist
under a scorching sun if the implementation of land
White reform diminishes rather than enhances the quality of
ISABELLA MAAKE, Graphics24 life of the majority of our people.