What question did this study set out to answer?

To explore the role of women in land reform processes in South Africa and their exclusion as beneficiaries.

May 24, 2026Open Access

Women, custodianship and the land debate

Key Points

To explore the role of women in land reform processes in South Africa and their exclusion as beneficiaries.
Analysis of land reform policies in South Africa since 1995
Examination of the impact of the Expropriation Bills of 2015 and 2020
Review of women's roles within household land decision-making frameworks
Women remain underrepresented as beneficiaries of land redistribution processes.
When included, women have limited decision-making power regarding land usage under existing patriarchal norms.
Government initiatives, like the Expropriation Bills, aim to speed up land redistribution but may not address women's rights effectively.

Abstract

Since 1995, land reform in South Africa, and particularly land redistribution, has taken on various forms and guises. However, women remain largely excluded from the process as beneficiaries. Furthermore, when included as beneficiary household members, women have little say over land usage and disposal under a patriarchal system. Following repeated concerns about the pace of and mechanisms for of land redistribution, government introduced the Expropriation Bills of 2015 and 2020 in terms of which land may be expropriated without compensation.

Women, custodianship and the land debate

Key Points

Abstract

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