Land Redistribution : What is On Offer?

On October 23, 2012, in Uncategorized, by Simon Watson

The “closing remarks” of the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform to the President’s speech last night can be read here.

Piet has set out the 5 Step process followed in order to plunder a victim while smiling. Lets take a look at what the Minister had to say about it. Below his remarks are the thoughts of a libertarian farmer who attended the gathering. We shall name him Louis.

Let me emphasis at this point that these are closing remarks and not a speech

Louis : Is this another way of saying that closing remarks are not to be taken seriously and if so why are they being made?

Ladies and Gentlemen we are all agreed on fundamentals.

Louis : We are certainly not. How can we agree on fundamentals when none have been communicated?

The democratic state inherited a colonial apartheid economy based on racial capitalism and this must be radically changed in order to reflect the nations demographics.

Louis : Bad start. Not only does this statement make no sense, it somehow manages to also (incredibly) contradict itself. Racial capitalism? Capitalism is an economic system which promotes peaceful relations between individuals resulting in voluntary production and exchange - there is nothing racial about capitalism. Only political systems which purport to protect a collective (i.e not individuals) such as fascism and socialism can conceivably have a racial component.

Furthermore, what is being corrected - past unjust actions to specific people or a current general demographic imbalance? Imbalance of what - race?

That we are compelled to execute change within our framework, which provides for a “just and equitable” principle in the public interest

Louis : What is a just and equitable principle? Why does this principle not take into account any losses of land before 1913 such as during the Lifaqane? Who is the public? Is it a simple majorty and if so why do we have a Constitution?

That we must grow our economy to create a solid platform for combating poverty, unemployment and income inequality; which are nothing but a symptom or manifestation of underdevelopment in certain areas of our society brought about by the racial structure of [the] economy.

Louis : Hold the phone. This statement is a series of direct and implicit lies and misrepresentations. Government cannot create or grow anything, it can only take and cut down. Was there no unemployment or poverty in South Africa before apartheid? South Africa was and remains the most prosperous African country. Before 1994 individuals were voluntarily migrating from their lands of equality to seek employment in South Africa. They continue to do so.

What we seem not to have consensus on is how we fundamentally restructure the economy in order to rapidly achieve our goal of a developmental state and a caring society

Louis : Correct, we do not have consensus. The rest of your statement makes no sense.

There are those who hold the view that growth in a developing society can only come through fundamental redistribution of national assets and resources

Louis : Perhaps. But there are also those who hold the view that you can get rich by spending, that you can magically create wealth by ordering it to exist, that reason is not necessary when communicating, that if you cut the hand that feeds the food will continue to flow, that a factory is a gift of nature which exists independently of the minds of men.

What resources are national? All of them? Am I a natural resource? If not why not and if so why am I being controlled against my free will?

A racial redistribution of land is the surest way of growing the economy and fighting poverty

Louis : Is poverty something you fight? I though this was about correcting past identified injustices excluding those before 1913 and not about racial redistribution? Hold the phone. I though any racial goal was an immoral goal? When you said “racial capitalism” earlier were you attacking racial principles or capitalism (individual freedom)? I think I see more clearly now what you are saying.

The biggest challenge we have is how to reverse the legacy of the 1913 Natives Land Act in such a way as to effectively de-congest the 13% of the land which is plus minus 57% of the population……We have to rehabilitate the soil and re-green the environment. That requires resettlement of the people from the 13 % to the 87%

Louis : Yes, I see more clearly now. What was the African population in 1913 and what is it today? Will you include Zimbabweans, Mozambicans, Congolese, Ethiopians, Malawians, Ghanaians , Nigerians and Zambians? What was the European population in 1913 and what is it now? Is population, simple numbers the only criteria to anything? Environment – why didn’t you just say so - please take my farm, I trust you will look after it.