| dc.description.abstract | Our land is a precious resource. We build our homes on it; it feeds us; it
sustains animal and plant life and stores our water. Land does not only form
the basis of our wealth, but also of our security, pride and history.
Land, its ownership and use, has always played an important role in shaping
the political, economic and social processes in the country. Past land policies
were a major cause of insecurity, landlessness, homelessness and poverty in
South Africa. They also resulted in inefficient urban and rural land use
patterns and a fragmented system of land administration. This has severely
restricted effective resource utilisation and development.
As a cornerstone for reconstruction and development, a land policy for the
country needs to deal effectively with the injustices of racially based land
dispossession of the past.
Land policy should ensure accessible means of recording and registering
rights in property, establish broad norms and guidelines for land use planning,
effectively manage public land and develop a responsive, client-friendly land
administration service.
The success of these elements of the programme is dependent in the long run
on more than merely access to land. The provision of support services,
infrastructural and other development programmes is essential to improve the
quality of life and the employment opportunities resulting from land reform.
Our vision is of a land policy and land reform programme that contributes to
reconciliation, stability, growth and development in an equitable and
sustainable way. It presumes an active land market supported by an effective
and accessible institutional framework. In an urban context our vision is one
where the poor have secure access to well-located land for the provision of
shelter. The land reform programmes focus is aimed at achieving a better
quality of life for the most disadvantaged. | |
