Redistribution in KwaZulu-Natal: An Analysis of Farmland Transactions Recorded

This article presents the results of a census survey of all farmland transactions in the province of KwaZulu-Natal during the calender year 1997. Data recorded by the Deeds Registry were stratified and analysed by race, gender and mode of land acquisition. It was estimated that 372995 hectares, or seven per cent of the area available for redistribution, transferred to new owners. Of this, 22934 hectares, representing just 0,43 per cent of the available area, 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 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 (9701 hectares versus 12022 hectares) but for a much larger share of the value of land redistributed (R36,6 million versus R13,5 million). Inheritance and land donations accounted for the remaining 1210 hectares of redistributed land. Women were well represented in land transactions involving inheritance but were under-represented in transactions financed with mortgage loans. In general, they acquired farms of much smaller size, and land of lower quality, than men