Will the GNU Land

Like many South Africans, I tuned in to watch President Cyril Ramaphosa announce his cabinet, the people who will be at the forefront of shaping this country for next five years. Like many young South Africans, my focus was on Land Reform and Rural Development, and the Department of Basic Education.

Political analysts have argued that the ANC's fate in this year's elections was tied to the party's performance on land issues over the past 30 years. The process of delivering land to Black people is still the yardstick used to measure the ANC's performance, a relevant measure if you ask me. Land dispossession remains the original trauma of this country, one that reverberates into and through almost all other areas of public, social and spiritual life. Professor Tshepo Madlingozi describes the consequences of Black landlessness as producing native pariahs and economic animals, living in labour reserves to serve an illegitimate, White economy.

"With freedom and democracy came restoration of the right to land. At last, we can look our ancestors in the face and say: Your sacrifices were not in vain." - Nelson Mandela, 1995

The newly appointed minister of Land reform and rural development Mzwanele Nyhontso, from the PAC, was quoted in an interview saying "we want [the land] back through an act of Parliament. I am in the government that has the responsibility to make it a point that the land is returned."

Of course, it is of great historical significance for the PAC to be responsible for Land Reform in South Africa. The PAC has always prioritized land, looking back at its slogan in 1994 during the first democratic elections they made land a priority -'Land first, all shall follow' reflected their commitment to land reform and redistribution. Even after 30 years, their stance on land has not changed - 'Our land, Our legacy' is was they led with during the 2024 elections. I am hopeful that the next five years will not be an era of stagnation, continued land issues and just another area of failure for the South African government.

The founding President of the PAC, Robert Sobukwe's utterance "AFRICA FOR AFRICANS, AFRICANS FOR HUMANITY, AND HUMANITY FOR GOD" reflects to me a continuous commitment to land restoration and nurturing a spirit of unity. Land ownership is important and intrinsic to African people's existence and identity. A Pan Africanist approach that understands the intricacies of what land in the African context would mean, seems promising. A legal framework formulated with the purpose of restoring land and ensuring that African people retrieve their identity is an amazing concept.

In an unequal and unstable South Africa, the only redress is land redistribution and land reform. With a fraction of land being owned by Black people, it is a long road for the newly appointed team tasked with giving the African people back their identity, dignity and a sense of justice.