Land redistribution in KwaZulu-Natal: An analysis of farmland transactions in 1997

This article presents the results of a census survey of all farmland transactions in the province of KwaZulu-Natal during the calendar year 1997. Data recorded by the Deeds Registry were stratified and analysed by race, gender and mode of land acquisition. It was estimated that 372 995 hectares, or 7 per cent, of the area available for redistribution have been transferred to new owners. Of this, just 0,43 per cent of the available area was redistributed to disadvantaged people. Although low, the rate of redistribution appears to have increased dramatically since 1995. The quality of land varied markedly across different modes of land redistribution. Land purchased with government grants was of a much lower agricultural quality than land purchased privately. Relative to government-assisted transactions, private market transactions accounted for a slightly smaller share of the area transferred to disadvantaged people but for a much larger share of the value of land redistributed. Inheritance and land donations accounted for the remaining redistributed land. Women were well represented in land transactions involving inheritance but were underrepresented in transactions financed with mortgage loans. In general, they acquired farms of much smaller size and land of lower quality than men.