Land reform – the solution to rural poverty?

September 2016
Ben Cousins, PLAAS (Rural 21, Vol.50 Nr.3/2016)

A critical assessment of 22 years of land reform policies in South Africa. Concludes that land reform has been captured by elites. The most powerful voices are those of ‘emerging’ black capitalist farmers (often with non-farm incomes), traditional leaders, large-scale white commercial farmers and agribusiness corporates, who are all benefiting more than the poor.