Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2007 / Refer to the document

<p>This thesis presented a study of post-settlement experiences of land reform beneficiaries, with a focus on three case studies from Limpopo Province. Since 1994, the South African government has implemented a land reform programme that aims to redress the injustices in land ownership patterns in the country. This study included a review of international and local literature on land reform with particualr interest in what happens after land transfer and settlement.</p>

<p>This thesis presented a study of post-settlement experiences of land reform beneficiaries, with a focus on three case studies from Limpopo Province. Since 1994, the South African government has implemented a land reform programme that aims to redress the injustices in land ownership patterns in the country. This study included a review of international and local literature on land reform with particualr interest in what happens after land transfer and settlement.</p>

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / Land reform in a form of land redistribution has been implemented in developing countries including South Africa. Land reform in South Africa was introduced to address the effects of the racial discrimination practices of the apartheid government, which led to black people being denied access to land prior 1994. The objective of land redistribution is produce commercially viable land reform projects, which will be able to sustain livelihoods of the poor. However evidence from some studies suggest that a large number of these projects have failed. This study aimed to explore the impact of land redistribution programme on the livelihoods of beneficiaries of the Monyamani, Lwalalemetse and Maboi3 (MOLWAMA) farms in the Polokwane municipality, Limpopo province who have benefited from Settlement Land Acquisition Grant (SLAG) a sub-programme of land redistribution. A quantitative research design was used. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and analysed using the SPSS software. Since the main objective was to determine how the standard of living, the researcher used key indicators such as household income, access to services, production of food for food security, empowerment, security and health. The main findings of the research are that while beneficiaries indicated a positive change on their standard of living, it was evident that because the land was not optimally utilised, the benefits could be much higher but for a number of challenges that they were still experiencing. Beneficiaries highlighted a number of challenges which include water shortages, drought, financial mismanagement, conflict amongst beneficiaries, uncommitted beneficiaries, low wages, low representation of women and youth and lack of financial assistance. In order to resolve these challenges, the study recommends a number of policy interventions. Specifically, on building capacity of beneficiaries by providing entrepreneurship and financial management trainings. The government and other stakeholders should encourage the youth to participate in land reform projects and provide them with necessary skills which, will enable them to work productively. Provision of infrastructure such as access roads, water, electricity and markets is very crucial for successful and sustainable projects.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017. / The aim of the study was to investigate elements that compromise the success of Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS) in Mopani District, Limpopo Province. There is a general view that PLAS intended to fast track the land reform process. The emerging farmers as soon as they get the land through PLAS are expected to use the land for production so as to improve their socio- economic status and contribute to the local economic growth. The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform proactively acquires the land and redistributes it to the previously disadvantaged people in a lease contract. Emerging farmers do not need to own the land and have title deeds as the land belongs to the government. PLAS is state driven because only the government can proactively acquire the land and lease it out to prospective productive emerging farmers from previously disadvantaged groups. Qualitative research design was used to collect data. The target group in this study were direct beneficiaries of PLAS or emerging farmers. Data was collected using focus group discussions with emerging farmers and one-on-one interviews in all three local municipalities: Ba-Phalaborwa, Tzaneen and Maruleng. One- on- one interviews were conducted with the key participants from the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and the Limpopo Department of Agriculture. The results of the study show that the emerging farmers are not effectively using the land as expected. They do not have the necessary support from government or Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. It was also revealed in the study that the Limpopo Department of Agriculture is expected to support the emerging farmers with technical support. In practice there is no visible form of support from the provincial department and farmers are left to fend for themselves. Emerging farmers usually lack farming skills and need regular training and support to be able to continue with their farming and businesses. The findings further reveal that the emerging farmers face serious challenges such as a lack of funding, water shortage, and lack of access to markets and their recapitalisation is reduced. These findings show that the strategy is not responsive enough because of lack of resources from the government. While there are instances where the white farmers are willing to sell their land, the government do not always have resources to acquire such lands. Also most of these land prices are often inflated and it is where these sellers are taking advantage of the government. This study recommends that the government should support the emerging farmers by all means possible. That will lead to profitable farming and the lives of the people will change qualitatively, leading to social and economic development. It is recommended further that the emerging farmers be given appropriate training so that they can be equipped with skills and be able to run and manage their farms

The thesis examines aspects of social change in rural Tigray, northern Ethiopia. It is based on fieldwork conducted between February 1993 and February 1995 in two villages located on the south central highland plateau: Enda Mariyam, and Tegula. The majority of fieldwork was conducted in Enda Mariyam - a village of some 228 farming households - and spanned two complete agricultural years. The thesis considers the local implications of reform measures implemented by nationalist rebels - the Tigray People's Liberation Front - as part of a revolutionary agenda for the transformation of 'traditional' Ethiopian peasant society. These measures included, most notably, land tenure reform, as well as changes in customary law and the re-organisation of rural administration. In addition, campaigns were mounted aimed at modifying certain aspects of peasant practice. In the context of a village-based ethnography, the thesis aims to qualify the most significant effects of these measures on social life and livelihoods. A key concern is how reform measures have affected the relationship between subsistence-oriented production, social organisation, and social stratification. In a setting where agricultural inputs - including land, oxen, and seed - are scarce, differential abilities amongst farming households to access agricultural inputs informs the pattern of social relationships. In this context, land reform is intimately linked to changes in the dynamics of wealth differentiation and social stratification in the village. The implications for the position of 'big men' and cultural notions of status-honour are considered. Together with land reform, reform of customary law in the area of marriage and divorce has wrought subtle but important changes in marriage and divorce practices, and the nature of intra-household relationships. It is argued that public campaigns for the 'emancipation' of women have probably had less effect on the ability of women to exert power within marriage, than the economic penalties that men now face upon divorce. Attempts to modify peasant religious practice are also examined, including efforts to minimise the number of holidays in the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar. The outcome of these attempts is explored in terms of notions of disaster and risk, the traditional authority of the Church, and the fragmentation of consensus around religious practice in the village.

published_or_final_version / Chinese Historical Studies / Master / Master of Arts

<p>The Government of Namibia has been responsible for facilitating the resettlement of destitute and landless people since its independence in 1990. The provision of resettlement is a very contentious issue in Namibia. The bulk of land is still in the hands of minority white communities and foreigners. It is against this background that the study examined the land reform process in Namibia. The objectives of the study was to investigate to what extent the land reform process has been successful in one of Namibia's regions, and what factors are relevant for success, and identify ways to improve the process / to examine the original government objective/policy and how/why it changed over time.</p>

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / This research places in context a proposed case study of land and property rights of a dispossessed Stockenström (Eastern Cape) community forcibly removed to Friemersheim (Western Cape) during the apartheid era, between 1985 and 1986. This dispossessed community has yet to receive appropriate compensation for that expropriation in the form of restoration of their property rights. This study examines the specifics of the legislative framework, which underpinned the circumstances of their land expropriation, as well as the pattern of land dispossession in South Africa during this era. To this end, it examines the impact of land-related apartheid legislation, which directly and indirectly influenced this community. It focuses on discussions, many of the parliamentary proclamations and statutes such as those passed in 1913, and beyond, which provided the legal context for large-scale land grabs, and contrasts these with the post-1994 land reformation programme. Finally, this research examines the practical implementation of the 1994 land reform programme, especially the component of restitution, with particular reference to the displaced Stockenström community who find themselves facing huge challenges in a democratic South Africa, even after they applied the new rights accorded to them in the land reform programme. It outlines the significance of the new legislative rights conferred on those dispossessed and tracks their land claims successes and failures.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / Land reform can be an effective vehicle for addressing poverty and landlessness, especially in rural areas where these are prevailing conditions. For land reform to succeed, the land must be used in ways that contributes to improving the livelihoods of land beneficiaries. The literature over the past 2 decades largely focuses on the failure of land reform in South Africa. Little is known about the 10% of successful projects that exist. The argument of this research project is that it is equally important to analyse how successful land reform projects have redressed racial imbalances in land, reduced poverty, improved livelihoods, developed the agricultural sector to create jobs, and ensured food security. It is essential for the well-being of the country to find successful land reform models to implement. By critically evaluating successful land reform projects, important insights and lessons in building a more effective land reform and rural development programme in South Africa may be offered. The focus of the research is on the redistributive component of land reform, specifically the successful redistribution of agricultural land to improve the livelihoods of the rural poor. The research critically analyses the successful Harmony Trust land reform project located in the Koue Bokkeveld region in the Western Cape Province. The Harmony Trust project is a share equity project and farms profitably in a joint venture with a commercial partner, who also serves as the mentor. Livelihoods of the land reform beneficiaries have improved; for example, the beneficiaries were empowered, redistribution of benefits took place, and living and working conditions have improved.