Hon Deputy Speaker, there can be no question that the 1913 Natives Land Act had far-reaching economic, social and political consequences for South Africa and her citizens. Not least among these consequences are the many who were dispossessed and forcibly removed from their land. Our Constitution obligates us to provide measures for the restitution of their property or comparable redress. But we need to acknowledge a few realities. Hon Thibedi spoke about the reunification of the producer with the means of production. He also spoke about the fact that beneficiaries preferred land to financial compensation. I need to make a correction to this.
The Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, hon Gugile Nkwinti, noted earlier this year that 92% of land claimants seek financial compensation, rather than a return to the land.
Now, we visited projects and the people there said yes, they wanted the land. But we did not speak to anyone else.
Research by the Centre for Development and Enterprise has shown that fewer than one in ten black people who are not farmers have aspirations to become farmers. It also showed that land aspirations are most often linked to a desire for urban land and housing opportunities.
Indeed, as was mentioned earlier, we are an increasingly urbanised nation, and the bulk of our agricultural production no longer occurs on small, family-owned farms, but rather on large commercial properties, where economies of scale permit the production of food at prices that are both locally and globally competitive.
Hon Thibedi and hon Mabuza spoke about the cost of restitution, particularly the willing-buyer, willing-seller model and that fact that it was prohibitive. But again, Prof Nick Vink, an agricultural economist, has stated that the amount spent to date on land restitution would have purchased 58% of all agricultural land in South Africa. That implies enormous inefficiencies within the department.
It is estimated that in South Africa the cadastral system covers 80% to 90% of the country. Figures for those living outside the system are about 3 million households, or 16 million people. However, the status of the rights on land which is nominally state-owned and the provision of legally enforceable rights - in other words tenure reform - to the occupants in these settlements, is at best uncertain.
Urban tenure remains a pipe dream for many South Africans, who have waited in vain for the title deeds to properties they were promised by the ANC in 1994. The department's focus is on restitution and transformation of the property ownership demographic, without really considering the demands or needs of the people. Their key deliverable is hectares of land transferred. In contrast, tenure reform looks at the number of beneficiaries provided with title to land passes. We are looking here at the number of people.
During the committee's oversight work, I had the opportunity to visit the community of Syferkuil in the North West province. This was a project that sought to provide tenure reform through the provision of title deeds to long-standing residents, turning de facto ownership into de jure ownership. But even this innovative project was not without its challenges. These include incompetence and lengthy bureaucratic red tape which delayed the process and increased the costs.
The DA believes that tenure reform is a critical element in addressing the injustices perpetrated by the 1913 Natives Land Act and subsequent legislation. We believe that, by delivering title deeds to state-subsidised housing, and real rights to property on which they reside or operate, citizens are provided with an economic asset that they are able to use to empower themselves further. In our land reform policy, we recommend that transfer fees and red tape for first-time homeowners be reduced, and that government invest in a subsidy programme aimed at the low-income housing market gap to assist those who do not qualify for RDP housing to gain access to bank loans.
Our approach to land reform seeks to promote redress and alleviate real land pressures whilst creating an enabling environment for rural economic growth and maintaining food security. The DA remains committed to ensuring that, where we govern, we implement successful land reform projects that ensure that beneficiaries are able to use that land productively and lift themselves out of poverty.
With much of South Africa's land in state hands, surely the starting point must be to provide those living and working on that land with the title deeds to the property they occupy. Thank you, Deputy Speaker. [Applause.]