State land leasing in SA closed to white citizens, Department confirms

• The Department of Land Reform and Rural Development confirmed that white South Africans are excluded from applying to lease state land
• Applications are assessed under a selection policy that limits eligibility to African, Indian, or Coloured South African citizens aged 18 and older
• An agricultural expert warned that 90% of land reform projects have already failed at a business level, raising serious concerns about the policy's impact

SOUTH AFRICA — The Department of Land Reform and Rural Development has confirmed that white South African citizens are not eligible to lease state land, citing its mandate to address historical land dispossession and promote equitable access to land. This was after the government announced that it would release 2.5 million hectares of state land to black farmers.

The department operates under several statutory frameworks, including the Deeds Registries Act, the State Land Disposal Act, and the Provision of Land and Assistance Act. Its core functions centre on restitution, tenure security, and rural development.

Who qualifies to lease State land?

Under the Beneficiary Selection and Land Allocation Policy and the State Land Lease and Disposal Policy, the first eligibility criterion specifies that applicants must be African, Indian, or Coloured South African citizens. The definition of African explicitly includes first nations persons. White citizens are excluded regardless of their farming background or experience.

Additional requirements include being at least 18 years old, holding a valid South African bar-coded identity document, and having a minimum of three years of farming experience. The department gives priority to women and youth, and applicants who are approved must reside on the farm.

Expert issues warning

According to Newsday, Theo de Jager, executive director at the Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai), raised sharp concerns about the broader land reform approach, arguing that politicians routinely conflate unused land with functioning operational farms.

De Jager noted that running a commercial farm demands complex business models, reliable access to capital, and established market connections — none of which are guaranteed through land allocation alone.

"90% of land reform projects have failed on a business level because beneficiaries cannot farm profitably or maintain main commercial market connections," he alleged.

He warned that replacing commercial agriculture with subsistence farming dismantles rural economic infrastructure, undermines job creation, and erodes export revenue.

His remarks highlight the tension between the policy's redistributive intent and its practical outcomes on the ground, with critics arguing that land transfers without adequate support systems leave beneficiaries unable to sustain viable agricultural operations.

SA government lacks updated land ownership data

In a related article, Briefly News reported on the government’s outdated data on land owned by foreign nationals, which the land reform minister says has not been updated since 2017. The figures exclude land held through companies and trusts.

The old audit recorded 789,932 hectares owned by foreign nationals, but it may not show the full picture. The government is preparing legislation to regulate foreign ownership despite lacking current, comprehensive data.

Source: Briefly News