Race-based land redistribution fails in South Africa

[Schadenfroh]

NPR Broadcast on this topic today:
http://www.npr.org/2011/11/20/142564019/south-african-farms-still-short-black-farmers

When apartheid ended in 1994, the new South African government laid out plans to achieve economic and social equality. A key goal was land reform. The government hoped to transfer 30 percent of white-owned farms to black ownership by 2014, but, as Anders Kelto reports, it's clear the government is nowhere near that goal.

No transcript is available (yet), so sadly we turn to the pseudo-news site of The Daily Mail for, which reports the same thing, for text:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...overnment--whites-originally-owned-farms.html

To bring economic equality, the South African government purchased land from white land owners and sold it at a discount (many times just gave it away for free) to new owners on the basis of race.

After the land has been given, or sold at a discount, to the new black owner, he is able to simply then able to sell it on.
...
Gugile Nkwinti said black farmers have resold nearly 30 per cent of the white farmland bought for them by the government.

He said: 'The government bought land and handed it over to aspirant farmers who then sold it again, in many instances back to the original owner.'

Not that the original land-owners are complaining:

Land economists say that the redistribution policy is highly inefficient as the white-owned land is often bought at above its market value by the government.

Another problem is that their government redistributed land to people that lack the expertise to farm, leading to productivity plummeting:

Studies of the South African model have shown that as many as 90 per cent of the new black-run farms fail because the new owners do not have the experience of running a large enterprise.

It seems logical that if one was going to do something like that that one should first educate the soon-to-be farmers. Hell, if someone gave me a farm, I would have no idea where to start even with an almanac and internet access.

 

[William Gaatjes]

A bag of money never works.

Power without knowledge is useless.
Knowledge without wisdom is dangerous.
Wisdom without love will corrupt.

The standard old saying :
"
Give a man a fish, he will eat for a day...
Teach a man to fish and you feed him for all days of his life...
"
And when done properly he will not only feed himself but others as well...

 

[Rainsford]

It's a lot easier to screw up a country than to put it back together. Over a long enough time, which South Africa certainly had, the foundation of a country (or a group within the country) can be destroyed to the point where it's extremely hard to bootstrap self-sufficiency again. Fixing the problem requires more than just trying to simulate the results you want (in this case, black farmers)...someone has to make sure the natural path to those results is in place.

 

[Greenman]

Has anything measurably improved since ending apartheid? It seems they've traded one form of stupidity for another.

 

[Rainsford]

Has anything measurably improved since ending apartheid? It seems they've traded one form of stupidity for another.

I'm not really sure...that's why I suggested that it's harder to stop the negative effects of something like apartheid than just simply saying "OK, that system is over now". That sort of thing leaves long-lasting and structural damage to society that I imagine will take a long time to get away from.

 

[sandorski]

It's a lot easier to screw up a country than to put it back together. Over a long enough time, which South Africa certainly had, the foundation of a country (or a group within the country) can be destroyed to the point where it's extremely hard to bootstrap self-sufficiency again. Fixing the problem requires more than just trying to simulate the results you want (in this case, black farmers)...someone has to make sure the natural path to those results is in place.

Indeed. At least this attempt to right a wrong has been fairly civilized. 70% still being used as intended seems fairly good IMO. As for Efficiency and what not, that's bound to improve in time as the Farmers become more familiar with the Ins and Outs of farming.

I have to wonder how many Shens went on regarding the 30%. Some probably saw it as an opportunity to flip it. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if some collusion went on as well, White Farmers convincing Blacks they knew to Apply for land, then sell it to them.

 

[Zebo]

Seems like the white ones were failing too.

But the irony is that the redistribution of farmlands, which was supposed to benefit black South Africans, is often benefiting white South Africans like Frylink instead. He was happy to sell his farm to the government because it wasn't making money anymore. Rising fuel and electricity costs were to blame. So, he sold the land and used the money to move here to Simonstown, where life is calm, and there's a wonderful view of the ocean.

 

[BladeVenom]

Zimbabwe also stole land from white farmers, and gave it to blacks, which caused a famine. So the US supported their racist policies by sending them food.

Our government supports racism against whites.

"Those who don't learn from history, become politicians."

 

[sandorski]

Zimbabwe stole land from white farmers, and gave it to blacks, which caused a famine.

fixed

 

[Double Trouble]

I don't know if we as humans will ever learn, but "race based" anything is stupid and bound to fail. Just because someone shares an ethnic background with someone else doesn't mean they have anything else in common. People's actions, strengths and weaknesses can't be predicted based on race, so any policy based on race is doomed to failure.

 

[Lemon law]

Once again the macro economic double standard rides again on a thread about South African Apartheid.

We can go back to the days of South African apartheid, and note the South African economy, blessed with natural resources both in terms of minerals and farmland worked like a Swiss watch to produce national wealth. The best thing since sex and sliced bread, if you were small minority "white", but it left the black majority thrown under the bus.

But still South Africa, which has largely evaded its neighbors super strong white discrimination, which led to a collapse of the entire farming economy. Leaving the nation unable to feed itself amidst the potential of plenty.

William Gaatjes pointed out the real problem, bags of money can't bring back a labor intensive sharecropping economy when modern agriculture requires large scale organization and the use mechanism. And once those defects are corrected, the South African agricultural economy can come roaring back.

But the failed implication of this thread is that South African style Apartheid will ever come back, under any future circumstances. Apartheid is a Vampire that is dead dead dead, the wooden stake is pounded in, the corspe has crumbled to dust, and now there are new realities for SA to confront.

 

[Jaskalas]

It seems logical that if one was going to do something like that that one should first educate the soon-to-be farmers. Hell, if someone gave me a farm, I would have no idea where to start even with an almanac and internet access.

Apprenticeships have become a novelty, but that's the only thing that would work. People greatly undervalue personal training.

 

[cybrsage]

Zimbabwe also stole land from white farmers, and gave it to blacks, which caused a famine.

They did a little more, they slaughtered the white farmers when they took the land from them.

 

[Rainsford]

I don't know if we as humans will ever learn, but "race based" anything is stupid and bound to fail. Just because someone shares an ethnic background with someone else doesn't mean they have anything else in common. People's actions, strengths and weaknesses can't be predicted based on race, so any policy based on race is doomed to failure.

The problem is that to some extent we're all trapped by racial history. I'm not sure "pro-black" policies like this one in South Africa are working very well, but the fact is that decades of anti-black policies created an environment that means black South Africans can't really compete with white South Africans on an equal footing. To answer your question, what black people in South Africa all have in common is a history of getting screwed over by their government.

 

[cybrsage]

Apartheid is a Vampire that is dead dead dead, the wooden stake is pounded in, the corspe has crumbled to dust, and now there are new realities for SA to confront.

Quite right, and may it be gone forever.

 

[Zebo]

NPR Broadcast on this topic today:
http://www.npr.org/2011/11/20/142564019/south-african-farms-still-short-black-farmers


No transcript is available (yet), so sadly we turn to the pseudo-news site of The Daily Mail for, which reports the same thing, for text:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...overnment--whites-originally-owned-farms.html

To bring economic equality, the South African government purchased land from white land owners and sold it at a discount (many times just gave it away for free) to new owners on the basis of race.


Not that the original land-owners are complaining:


Another problem is that their government redistributed land to people that lack the expertise to farm, leading to productivity plummeting:


It seems logical that if one was going to do something like that that one should first educate the soon-to-be farmers. Hell, if someone gave me a farm, I would have no idea where to start even with an almanac and internet access.

Work your ass off and immunity to smells is all you need. My grandfather was a farmer and parents would dump us for weeks at a time as kids during the summer and I remember waking up before sun rose to drive tractor/feed animals and going for supper just a couple hours before sun set. 12 hour days were the norm. I often romanticize it because some good times were had then I remember it was nothing but work 7 days a week.

It's quite easy to fail as you can see if you have to work that hard to keep head above water. One change in interest rates or fuel can bury you let alone if you get hurt or just want to work 40 hrs. Most farmers work for the bank, even here.