Dear visitor and international investor,

We warmly welcome you, if this is your first visit to Africabiz Online - The ultimate newsletter on trading and investing in 49 sub-Saharan African countries. If you are a regular and faithful reader, welcome back.

- LONG AWAITED LAND REFORM FINALLY ON TRACK IN SOUTH AFRICA - AN INTELLIGENT ONE THAT BUILDS ON EXISTING ASSETS

The apartheid/colonization regime that reigned supreme over South Africa from 1652 - the arrival date of European settlers, up to April 27, 1994 - when the principle of "One Man One Vote" permits the take over of the country government by the ANC and Allies, was characterized by land grabbing and dispossession - on behalf of the minority white people against the majority black community.

Said land grabbing and dispossession had been accomplished through sharp practices, dishonesty and devious appropriate string of Law enacted over decades by the apartheid regime.

The result of this was that black people, deprived of their ancestral land were forced to work for the settlers - as temporary or permanent farm workers, to make a living. Therefore, these farm workers dwelling with meager salary, were unable to accumulate capital, growth a business and evolve into agro-business - as the settlers did over decades, to investing and diversifying in other profitable business concerns.

That evolution partly explains why there is today a astonishing and "shameful" discrepancy between the standard of living of Black people and the settlers's descendants.

Indeed, it is a internationally recognized fact that South Africa is amongst the most unequal societies in the world; and that situation is portent of unstability for the near future of two decades if nothing is done to bring more equality to the social fabrics. For more on the land grabbing and dispossession please click here to download a PDF file, by Sam Rugege, that explains the whole system.

African nationalists, the ANC activists fought relentlessly against the apartheid regime; and during 1993's negotiations, to suppressing the apartheid regime, they put Land Reform high on the agenda.

However, the 1996's Interim Constitution, which ushered in the new democratic era in South Africa, did not contain detailed provisions for Land Reform. It was a compromise negotiated between the main negotiation blocks - the ANC and the National Party.

The 1996-Constitution, drafted by a democratically elected Constitutional Assembly was more specific as Land Reform had been addressed as a matter of rights and included in the Bill of Rights/SECTION 25 of the Constitution, to guarantee the right of property against arbitrary deprivation; but also provides for the power of the state to expropriate private property for public purposes or in the public interest subject to just and equitable compensation. For more on the matter consult South Africa's 1996 Constitution.

- Brief Recounting of the Land Reform Since 1996

On November 10, 2000 the principles and guiding policy of planned South Africa's Land Reform had been exposed and discussed during a workshop held at Durban, Clairwood Race Course's compound, Kwazulu-Natal - to correct the misdeeds and injustice of Land distribution, which are the consequences of 1936-Development Trust and Act.

The workshop was organized by UPHAPHE EMPOWERMENT TRUST, sponsored by South-Africa's government; co-chaired by the reigning Zulu's king, His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini and vice-president Jacob Zuma - in charge of Rural Development in South Africa's national government.

Deputy President, Jacob Zuma, exposed to the gathering SA-government's Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy to be implemented by a Land Reform articulated in three distinct components: restitution, tenure reform, and the redistribution program.

The redistribution program, for its part, has different components, or subprograms:

• Agricultural Development - to make land available to people for agricultural purposes.
  
• Settlement - to provide people land for settlement purposes.
  
• Nonagricultural enterprises - to provide people land for nonagricultural enterprises, for example eco-tourism projects.
  

He praised the initiative devised by UPHAPHE EMPOWERMENT TRUST'S founders and particularly the passion, dedication and vision of its chairman, Dr. Ephraim Zungu who he compared to the emblematic figure of late Albert John Luthuli.

And announced that similar workshops would be organized all over the country to draw from the experience of real people in rural areas, in order to have a comprehensive rural development plan to boost rural development - empowering black entrepreneurship in rural areas.

Unfortunately, a breakdown of relationship between Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma occurred on the road to the ANC 52th National Conference at Polokwane.

And on June 14, 2005, president Thabo Mbeki released Jacob Zuma of his duties as deputy president. Jacob Zuma left the executive and hit the roads visiting ANC local sections and districts all around the country, campaigning to be elected president of the ANC, on December 18, 2007, at the Polokwane National Conference.

Due to the battle to control the ANC governing body as above briefly exposed, the implementation of the Land Reform - as discussed at Durban on November 10, 2000 had been delayed till 2014 when the ANC decided to take measures to accelerate the reform.

And on March 17, 2017 the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform of South Africa's released the Regulation of Agricultural Land Holdings Bill, 2017 40697 /NOTICE and the Explanatory Memorandum for public comment. The Bill in PDF file is available for download on the site of the Ministry of Rural Development and Land Reform.

The Bill's main salient points read as follows:

1 - There will be a ceiling on the amount of acreage owned by a person, an entity or a corporation. 2 - A foreigner, person, entity or corporation cannot own land in South Africa. A person, entity or corporation can lease land for a maximum period of 30 years 3 - A registrar is established to register land possession - new or old, existing in South Africa.

All this is in line with the strategy exposed by Jacob Zuma at the first workshop on Land Reform, held at Durban on 10 November 2000, and reported in Africabiz Online December 2000's edition under the title, Zimbabwe's Scenario Won't Happen in South Africa - with following conclusion:

"... the strategic Land Reform devised by South Africa's government and private entrepreneurs is completely different from the erratic land reform undertaken by Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, "that wise land reform policy shall undoubtedly preserve social peace in South Africa, avoid unnecessary economic disruption and reinforce international investors' confidence for the South African market, "the success of the land reform will help South Africa develop a stronger economy, steadily bridging the gap of standard of living between South Africa's white and black citizens, "a politically stable and prosperous South Africa is an asset for the "African Renaissance."

Above remarks/conclusion are still valid today - 17 years later, based on the analysis of the Agriculture Land Holdings Bill released on 17 March 2017 by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform.

In a normal world this reform should gain the support of any reasonable and responsible person, agency or corporation; national or foreign country that have in mind the harmonious development of South Africa.

Not supporting it is sowing seeds for trouble, to promoting an unharmonious atmosphere, that would create chaos leading to sabotage, and the subsequent break up of South Africa.

Which put into question the motives and hidden agenda of western countries controlled rating agencies to downgrading South Africa's credit-rating to junk - taking as pretext cabinet's reshuffle undertaken by president Jacob Zuma on March 30, 2017, that released finance Minister Pravin Gordhan from duty.

Hopefully there are alternatives financing possibilities to circumvent the "strange" move of said agencies to cripple South Africa development policy.

Click the following link to read about the hidden agenda behind South-Africa credit-rate downgrading by western countries controlled credit-rating agencies.

Your feedback / objection / contribution is welcome. Visit WorldWide BizCenter, and choose General Information (as topic) to create a thread for discussion. On the top of the WorldWide BizCenter page, there is a HELP link to assist you making an efficient use of the discussion board. This link also is useful

Many thanks for dropping by and see you here on July 15, 2017

Dr. B. M. Quenum
Editor of AFRICABIZ