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Study Of South African Land System

Posted on:2001-01-31Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:X F LiFull Text:PDF
GTID:1116360065950299Subject:Agricultural economic management
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
Land is the fundamental and foremost natural resource which human being rely on to live andpropagate. Land system is hence the most important component of the basic policy for a nation.In South Africa, the land policy in the past played such an important role that it actually laidstrong foundation for the infamous and tenebrous Apartheid. The black people with mostpopulation were enslaved by whites as the consequence of losing their land gradually, whereas thecolonistdomineered them by invading their land and nibbling at their territory.Based on great volume of data especially on first-hand materials and updated information, this thesis outlines the land history of South Africa and discusses about the whole process of legislative apartheid land system including its origin, shaping, development, consolidation as well as its doom. It also reveals the cruelty, counteraction and corruptibility. It further probes into aspects of the approach and progress of the ongoing new South Africa land reform covering land rights restitution, land redistribution and land tenure reform and the related guideline, policy and laws. It measures the feasibility, advancement and landmark of the present land reform in South Africa. This thesis also shows a better understanding why it is so important and necessary to process the land reform urgently in South Africa through comparison of South Africa land reform with that of Zimbabwe. Based on lessons from international experience with land reform, the last section prospects the future development of SA land reform.The history of SA land system could be divided into 6 historical periods, namely: Origin, Colonization, Segregation, Apartheid, Transition and Reform. As far back as about 100 000 years ago, the beautiful and prosperous South African land were already occupied by mobile groups of hunter-gatherers known as San and Khoe-Khoe living in nuclear families who knew how to aggregate and disperse and lived an autarkic life. The landing of Europeans on Cape of Good Hope marked the beginning of colonial history in South Africa, from then on, the colonist invaded the rich land belonging to native blacks with force and further robbed the rich minerals and the indigenous blacks were enslaved consequently. At the turn of last century , 'he colonists have almost finalized their plundering of South African land and its resources. Shortly after the Union of South Africa was established , the white authority passed the Natives Land Act in 1913 to cement what they have seized and get it legalized. The Native Land Act limited the native blacks to the reserves totaling 7.35% of the country's area and confirmed the establishment of segregation land system in South Africa.In 1936, the white authority passed the Native Trust and Land Act. Superficially, the area for the reserves were enlarged from 7.35% of the country's area to that of 12.9% which seems to be larger for the blacks but the intention was to restrict all the Africans to the reserves and hence reinforce the control of them. The poor land in the reserves areas scheduled in the Native Land Act soon deteriorated and with increasing population some Africans had to move to other places for a living and some new settlements were established known as "black spots". It was with this background that the Native Trust and Land Act of 1936 was passed to clear those "black spots" and force those1blacks back to the reserves. The boundary of the reserves including the Scheduled areas and Released areas remained until the end of Apartheid in 1990's and tins act was regarded as a milestone for segregation land system in South Africa.The National Party came to power in 1948 and pushed forward more rigid racial separation with full force and abandoned all pretences. The Population Registration Act, the Group Areas Act, the Pass laws together with other segregation laws were passed and implemented, which consolidated the Apartheid. The people of South Africa opposed the Apartheid from the very beginning and with their d...
Keywords/Search Tags:S.A.Land System
PDF Full Text Request
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