farm land
700 000 ha of state land will be redistributed? More questions than answers BlogFeatured BlogUncategorized

700 000 ha of state land will be redistributed? More questions than answers

By Katlego Ramantsima ‘Minister Thoko Didiza announces over 700 000 ha of state land will be redistributed.’ This made headlines on almost all media platforms this past week. Land reform has generally been slow, and many, especially those who need agricultural land, were in cheerful spirits about these developments. This is a significant number of hectares in comparison to the…
PLAAS
October 12, 2020
Rural women demand a seat at the table in Mozambique’s National Land Policy Review BlogFeatured BlogUncategorizedWomen’s Land Tenure Security

Rural women demand a seat at the table in Mozambique’s National Land Policy Review

By Clemente Ntauazi, Joana Noyes, Refiloe Joala A new land policy in the works On 16 July 2020, the President of the Republic of Mozambique, Filipe Jacinto Nyusi launched the public hearing phase of the National Land Policy Review, which will culminate in the amendment of the 1997 Land Law (Law no.19/97), and other laws and regulations that govern land…
PLAAS
October 7, 2020
Collapse, conflict or social cohesion? Learning from livestock dipping associations in KwaZulu-Natal BlogFeatured BlogUncategorized

Collapse, conflict or social cohesion? Learning from livestock dipping associations in KwaZulu-Natal

By Tim Gibbs At a time when there is much talk about corruption and state failure, especially in local municipalities, the quiet revival of government subsidised cattle dipping in KwaZulu Natal (KZN) in recent years is an important ‘success story’ that deserves far more attention. Today, around 90-95% of the 1600 dipping tanks in the communal areas of the province…
PLAAS
October 5, 2020
Will expropriation unlock land reform? BlogEquitable Access to LandFeatured BlogUncategorized

Will expropriation unlock land reform?

By Farai Mtero The National Assembly re-established the Adhoc Committee to amend Section 25 of the Constitution since the original committee could not continue its work on the 18th Constitutional Amendment on expropriation of land due to the Covid-19 national lockdown. This brings back onto the agenda a highly contested and divisive issue amongst South Africans. The point of contention…
PLAAS
August 10, 2020
Draft National Policy on Beneficiary Selection and Land Allocation: Prospects for a pro-poor land reform? BlogEquitable Access to LandFeatured BlogUncategorized

Draft National Policy on Beneficiary Selection and Land Allocation: Prospects for a pro-poor land reform?

By Farai Mtero South Africa’s land reform has shifted markedly from its pro-poor focus which was its key defining feature in the early years of democracy. The new Draft National Policy on Beneficiary Selection and Land Allocation presents an opportunity to rethink the direction of land reform in South Africa and reclaim the pro-poor land reform agenda. Recent research by…
PLAAS
August 10, 2020
woman fish processor in Lagos
African small-scale fisheries in the time of Covid-19: Voices from the continent – A Nigerian perspective Blog

African small-scale fisheries in the time of Covid-19: Voices from the continent – A Nigerian perspective

By Kafayat A. Fakoya In Africa, Nigeria’s small-scale fisheries (SSF) sector is undisputedly the largest in terms of catch and employment. The sector provides food security, income and livelihoods to a conservative six million fisherfolk, and represents 70% of total fish production—most of which is accessible as an irreplaceable source of animal protein and micronutrients to a multitude of masses.…
PLAAS
July 2, 2020
covid 19 masks police south africa
Is there space in South Africa for a democratic politics of life in response to Covid-19? BlogFeatured Blog

Is there space in South Africa for a democratic politics of life in response to Covid-19?

By Andries du Toit and Diana Mitlin More than sixty days after its commencement, South Africa is cautiously easing its way out of one of the most sweeping lockdowns of the global Covid 19 pandemic.  In many ways, this new phase—‘Level 3’ of the South African government’s risk-adjusted pandemic response—is turning out to be a confusing and ambiguous new time; …
PLAAS
June 11, 2020
plaas cattle farmer small holder farm
Lockdown challenges for land reform beneficiaries Blog

Lockdown challenges for land reform beneficiaries

By Nkanyiso Gumede Smallholder farmers and land reform beneficiaries have been greatly affected by the lockdown in South Africa since it began on 26 March 2020. Lockdown meant less mobility for these farmers and a drop in demand for produce, which meant a loss of income. These farmers mainly supply to informal markets, which include bakkie traders, street vendors, hawkers,…
PLAAS
June 10, 2020
The effects of Covid-19 on youth in South Africa: Mr President, what is your plan? BlogFeatured Blog

The effects of Covid-19 on youth in South Africa: Mr President, what is your plan?

By Cyriaque Hakizimana The Covid-19 crisis is likely to deepen the hardship experienced by the youth in South Africa who are already considered to be the most vulnerable in the South African labour market. Even before the current crisis, young people were the hardest hit by the economic slowdown. Approximately 8.2 million (40.1%) of South Africa's 20.4 million young people…
PLAAS
May 20, 2020
informal settlement peri-urban economy people shopping
Dancing on the same spot? Covid-19 in the peri-urban low-income economy BlogFeatured BlogUncategorized

Dancing on the same spot? Covid-19 in the peri-urban low-income economy

By Katlego Ramantsima “I became sick when I heard that there was a lockdown because I don’t have a permanent job.” So says Lindiwe Mthembu, a 35-year-old mother of four from Orange Farm, South of Johannesburg. She’s been struggling to feed her family during the Covid-19 pandemic and national lockdown. “I survive on piece jobs working as a domestic worker,…
PLAAS
May 19, 2020