The Agricultural Potential and Sustainability of Redistributed Land in South Africa: The Case of Mzikazi, Kwazulu-Natal

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

In February 1994 South Africans and the rest of the world witnessed the birth of a democratically elected government in South Africa. One of the immediate objectives of this new form of governance was, through the land reform programme, to redistribute land to an estimated 25 million people who were dispossessed of this vital resource during the apartheid era. The Department of Land Affairs, charged with this function, has thus far made land available to some 500 000 landless people with the majority being subsistence farmers. The quest for ownership of land took precedence over the suitability of such land to sustain the livelihood of these poor communities. Unproductive and unsustainable land could result in further povertisation of already impoverished communities. The Mzikazi community, located some 140 kilometres from the eThekwini city centre (Durban Metropolis), is one such community that benefitted from the Land Redistribution Programme. The suitability of the redistributed land to support and sustain agriculture was unknown. It was within this context that this investigation was executed. It's aim was to assess the productive and sustainable capacity of the land. Soil variables which, inter alia, included pH, Ca, Mg, Zn, P, K and acid saturation were identified as reliable indicators of land suitability with respect to agriculture. Soil samples, representative of the study area, were analysed to determine the current status of the stated variables. The laboratory analysed values (current) were statistically compared with the gross feeder value (predetermined value suitable for agricultural production.). The results indicated that the land in its current state was not suitable for agricultural practice.