Afasa warns land reform failures are setting black farmers up to fail

Many farmers who received land through restitution programs have not been issued title deeds, preventing them from using the land as collateral for bank loans, which Afasa claims sets them up for failure. Afasa reports that some black farmers have been evicted from their farms without their knowledge or consent, with the land subsequently leased to others. The association cited Zandfontein Farm in the Free State as an example, where a lease advertisement was withdrawn after Afasa threatened legal action.

Piet Mothepu, Afasa’s land reform committee head, welcomed the withdrawal and expressed readiness to collaborate with the government to find solutions. Mothepu highlighted a long-standing issue of the government advertising farms of existing owners to attract investors, leading to evictions. Affected provinces include the Free State and Eastern Cape, where Afasa's committees plan to seek an urgent interdict to prevent the department from reallocating or disposing of farms without proper procedures.

Afasa noted that most affected farmers are on 30-year leases, with some offered the option to purchase the land upon lease expiry. The association attributes the primary problem to a lack of government support, questioning how vulnerable rural farmers are expected to manage land without assis