Land redistribution policy governance in KwaZulu-Natal: a case study of Department of Rural Development and Land Reform in Pietermaritzburg.

Abstract

When the democratically elected government came into power in 1994, it sought to redress the issue of landlessness in South Africa. The aftermath of land dispossession executed under the apartheid system resulted in the existing unequal land access and ownership in South Africa. As a policy response, the democratic government introduced the land reform policy. However, since the advent of democracy, numerous studies have highlighted the failure of the government’s efforts to rectify landlessness. Additionally, this pressing issue prompted the ongoing national land debate. It was therefore imperative to conduct a policy study guided by “good governance” within the Social Science discipline to make an evidence-based policy contribution. The aim of this study was to explore whether there are policy impediments hindering land redistribution to respond to landlessness in KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg. The research objectives were designed to investigate policy impediments hindering land redistribution, assess the proficiency and sufficiency of land redistribution, evaluate the policy implementation of land redistribution, and determine whether good governance was employed during policy implementation at the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform in Pietermaritzburg. A qualitative research approach was employed which focused on the descriptive textual data rather than numerical. Semi-structed interviews were used to collect data. A snowball sampling technique ensured that land redistribution policy experts got interviewed. A thematic data analysis was employed which identified and examined patterns of themes found across data sets. The key findings of this study revealed land redistribution policy is not designed proficiently and it is not sufficient to redress landlessness. Consequently, the slow pace of reforming land in South Africa. The noted significant policy recommendations are that land expropriation with compensation and effective policy implementation are required to improve land policy responsiveness.