Land reform in South Africa: Beneficiary participation and impact on land use in the Waterberg District
Open accessAbstract
Highlights• Contextual understanding of SA land reform programme is enhanced.• Clarity of targeted beneficiaries determined programmes implementation outcomes.• Beneficiary participation high in redistribution farms than in restitution farms.• Context determined the extent of land use in redistribution farms.• Cross-sectional studies critical to understanding land redistribution evolution.
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Land tenure insecurity remained in South Africa during Phase 2 (2010-2020).
“Importantly, the literature confirmed that land tenure insecurity remained [31], indicating that the primary aim of securing tenure was being systematically undermined by the preference for simpler cash settlements.”
From How Has South Africa's Land Reform Policy Performed from 1994 to 2024? Insights from a Review of Literature (2025) · cites this paper as [31]
The Introduction describes people occupying land with insecure rights, supporting the claim that tenure insecurity existed in South Africa when the paper was written. But the paper focuses on restitution and redistribution, and its 2017 account does not establish that tenure insecurity remained throughout the stated 2010–2020 period. (LLM, conf=0.77)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredMost literature during Phase 2 highlighted that restitutions in South Africa lacked post-settlement support, with disputes increasing.
“To support this, most of literature during the phase highlighted restitutions that lacked post-settlement support, with disputes increasing [31].”
From How Has South Africa's Land Reform Policy Performed from 1994 to 2024? Insights from a Review of Literature (2025) · cites this paper as [31]
Section 4.2 (page not available) reports inadequate post-land-reform support as a factor contributing to low beneficiary participation, including on restitution farms. It does not report increasing disputes or establish that most literature during a ‘Phase 2’ made this claim. Section 3.1 uses Phase 2 to describe a land redistribution model, not a phase of restitution. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the Waterberg District, unclear tenure security led to lower beneficiary participation, inconsistent land use, and hampered productivity due to uncertainty over land rights.
“In the Waterberg District, for instance, unclear tenure security led to lower beneficiary participation, inconsistent land use, and hampered productivity due to uncertainty over land rights [31].”
From How Has South Africa's Land Reform Policy Performed from 1994 to 2024? Insights from a Review of Literature (2025) · cites this paper as [31]
The paper reports lower beneficiary participation on restitution farms and differences in land use across reform models (Abstract; §§4.2–4.3; page numbers unavailable). It does not attribute those outcomes to unclear tenure security or uncertainty over land rights, or establish that such uncertainty hampered productivity. Section 4.2 instead discusses inadequate state support and beneficiaries’ limited resources as contributors to low participation. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe bibliometric analysis shows that while research on tenure security and livelihoods has grown, policy outcomes remain focused on administrative targets rather than transformative impacts.
“This bibliomhaveic analysis reinforces these concerns: while research on tenure security and livelihoods has grown, the policy outcomes remain focused on administrative targets rather than transformative impacts [31,34].”
From How Has South Africa's Land Reform Policy Performed from 1994 to 2024? Insights from a Review of Literature (2025) · cites this paper as [31]
Section 4.1 (page unavailable) compares implementation outcomes with policy targets and reports that later redistribution models benefited mostly better-off farmers, supporting concern about who benefited from reform. The paper does not conduct a bibliometric analysis or establish that research on tenure security and livelihoods has grown; nor does it conclude that policy outcomes remain focused on administrative targets rather than transformative impacts. (LLM, conf=0.78)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredResearch in Mpumalanga and North-West provinces shows that better-off emerging farmers and politically connected individuals often dominate beneficiary lists, while poorer households and women remain underrepresented.
“For example, research in Mpumalanga and North-West provinces shows that better-off emerging farmers and politically connected individuals often dominate beneficiary lists, while poorer households and women remain underrepresented [31,45]”
From How Has South Africa's Land Reform Policy Performed from 1994 to 2024? Insights from a Review of Literature (2025) · cites this paper as [31]
Section 4.2, “Beneficiary participation,” says that changes to land redistribution policy led to acquisition by financially better-off individuals. The paper studies the Waterberg District, not research in Mpumalanga and North-West provinces; the cited passages do not establish that politically connected individuals dominated beneficiary lists or that women were underrepresented. Section 3.1 also says the earlier SLAG model benefited poor households, so the claim needs a programme-specific qualification. (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
The latest PLAS model successfully increased beneficiary participation to a high of 100% per farm, a significant jump from the 19% seen under the previous SLAG model.
“The latest PLAS model successfully increased beneficiary participation, reaching a high of 100% per farm, a significant jump from the 19% seen under the previous SLAG model.”
From How Has South Africa's Land Reform Policy Performed from 1994 to 2024? Insights from a Review of Literature (2025) · cites this paper as [31]
Participation was higher on redistribution farms (65%) compared to restitution farms (18%).
“Participation was also higher on redistribution farms ( 65% ) compared to restitution farms ( 18% ) [31].”
From How Has South Africa's Land Reform Policy Performed from 1994 to 2024? Insights from a Review of Literature (2025) · cites this paper as [31]
Participation and utilization of restituted land in South Africa remain low, with beneficiaries lacking the financial capabilities for production.
“The participation and utilization of restituted land remain low, with beneficiaries lacking the financial capabilities for production [31,32].”
From How Has South Africa's Land Reform Policy Performed from 1994 to 2024? Insights from a Review of Literature (2025) · cites this paper as [31]
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References 17 · Cited by 28
Research works printed but not linked: 4
- [1]1. Aliber, M., Cousins, B., 2013. Livelihoods after land reform in South Africa. J. Agrar. Chang 13 (1), 140-165.
- [19]19. Hall, R., 2009. Land reform for what? Land use, production and livelihoods. In: Hall, R. (Ed.), Another Countryside? Policy Options for Land and Agrarian Reform South Africa. Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, pp. 23-60.
- [30]30. Moyo, S., 2009. Designing and implementing redistributive land reform: the southern african experience. In: Binswanger-Mkhize, C. (Ed.), Agricultural Land Redistribution: Towards Greater Consensus. The World Bank, Washington, D.C, pp. 337-366.
- [33]33. Ranwedzi, N.E., 2013. The Potential and Limits of the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS): Land Reform Implementation in Gauteng Province of South Africa, Unpublished MPhil Thesis. Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies University of the Western Cape.
- Authors
- Netshipale, A. J., Oosting, S. J., Raidimi, E. N., Mashiloane, M. L., & de Boer, I. J. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Venda (ZA)
- Wageningen University & Research (NL)
- Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (ZA)
- Animal Production Systems Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Corresponding author
- Netshipale, Avhafunani J.
- Venue
- NJAS: Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2017-12-01
- Volume
- 83
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 57-66
- ISSN
- 1573-5214 (ISSN-L)
- 2212-1307
- OpenAlex
- W2752282802
- Cited by
- 28
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 4.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences (publishedVersion)
- Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Netherlands University Foundation for International Cooperation
- Department of Rural Development and Land Reform
- UNIVEN
- LDA
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Land Rights and Reforms
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › General Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › African studies and sociopolitical issues
- Keywords
- land reform, land redistribution, land restitution, beneficiary participation, land use, Waterberg District, South Africa
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