Land Contestations in Post-apartheid South Africa: The Convergence of Rural Young Farmers’ Perspectives with the Public Debates on Expropriation of Land without Compensation*

Land in South Africa is a contentious and emotive issue. The post-apartheid state has had the difficult task of redistributing and restoring land to those who were illegally dispossessed during apartheid. A lot of young people have inherited landlessness as their parents were part of the generation that mainly lost its land through forced removals. This article emanates from a doctoral thesis which utilises a qualitative approach to understand the role of youth farming in South Africa’s land reform context. An analysis of the youth perspectives shared in the expropriation of land without compensation public debates is done alongside those of the youths studied. Results showed that young people were frustrated by the delay in accessing quality productive land, which they felt was a result of post-apartheid systemic oppression. The youths viewed land as a source of economic empowerment, a birthright for citizens and a means to increased market share during COVID-19. A youth-inclusive approach to land reform and transformation will go a long way towards empowering and increasing the competitiveness of young people, as they are future food producers.