Land and the Agrarian Economy

a) EFF Municipalities on Land and the Agrarian Economy

The EFF acknowledges the ongoing historical desire for land among the people and the repeated failures of the ANC government to address it. In the immediate to short-term, the goal of all EFF municipalities is to actively acquire land for residential, religious, commercial and agricultural purposes. Additionally, all EFF municipalities will stop the sale of municipally owned land and instead allocate this land for redistribution to black communities.

EFF municipalities will:

1. Use its expropriation powers to expropriate abandoned land and buildings in order to make these available for use by young people for agriculture and other business activities.

2. Develop a clear, localised land reform plan that incorporates an integrated sustainable rural development strategy. This plan should focus on reducing rural poverty by creatively utilising available resources in the targeted areas.

3. Make land closer to urban centres available for human settlements, thereby addressing the most pressing need for urban land reform.

4. Enter into Memorandums of Understanding with traditional leaders for the development of land in areas where these traditional leaders have authority, with the intention of using land in rural areas to catalyse youth-led development.

5. Collaborate with nearby agricultural colleges to strengthen extension services for rural farmers.

6. Establish municipal-owned market clearing houses where all emerging farmers can bring their products to a central marketplace.

7. Build a central municipal-owned abattoir, primarily aimed at assisting emerging farmers to sell their livestock.

8. Assist in granting water rights to emerging farmers and provide them with essential equipment to promote agricultural development in regions like Midvaal, Rand West City, Merafong in Gauteng, and Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme and Nkomazi in Mpumalanga.

9. Subdivide land to permit smaller-scale intensive agriculture, supporting as many young people as possible.

10. Tighten the enforcement of zoning by-laws to ensure that no agricultural land is converted into residential or other forms of land use.

11. Engage with different State departments that own land in these municipalities to grant the municipality the right of first refusal when selling or transferring State land. This ensures the municipality can access land needed for land reform initiatives at the local level.

12. Identify and collaborate with Communal Property Associations in these municipalities to offer training and post-settlement support.

13. Identify and promote micro-irrigation projects on available land to enhance climate-resilient smallholder farming and aim to create at least 500 youth jobs per municipality within the first term.