Comments by SA leaders in Zimbabwe at the weekend, congratulating the country on its efforts to revive its agricultural sector, were not unexpected given that this was a political event.
However, South Africans’ reaction on social media indicates that most believe Zimbabwe’s land reform efforts have been a big failure, causing economic pain to many people. This is true — Zimbabwe’s agriculture is yet to recover from its ill-advised land reform plan of the early 2000s.
While we can all wish Zimbabwe well in its efforts to rebuild, the country’s land reform programme is certainly no model for SA. Here it must be based on market principles, supporting growing investment in our agricultural sector to enable it to play a meaningful role in resolving our triple challenge of low growth, poverty and unemployment.
The starting point would be the continuous affirmation of strong property rights, and thereafter a release of the 2.5-million hectares of government land to appropriately selected beneficiaries with title deeds. This could be followed by blended finance and upskilling, collaboratively implemented with the private sector.
The 2.5-million hectares will not be the end of land reform; the process must continue, based on market principles under the three pillars of restitution, redistribution and tenure. To be clear, the SA government is still buying land on the open market for land reform. Other, destructive policies won’t help resolve our triple challenges.
In addition to land reform, it is investment and continuous efforts to open export markets, address biosecurity weaknesses and improve the logistics and efficiencies of municipal service delivery that will bring shared prosperity in SA's agriculture.
Wandile Sihlobo
Chief economist, Agricultural Business Chamber of SA
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