Land tenure and rural development: Some issues relating to the Ciskei/Transkei region∗

The author is grateful to Alistair Kerr, Murray Leibbrandt and Michael Whlsson for their helpful comments on the first draft of this article.

Abstract

Politicians, planners and development agencies in areas such as Ciskei and Transkei are debating and planning for land tenure reform on the assumption that it holds the key to successful agricultural and rural development. This paper considers various land reform options available to planners working in the rural areas of Ciskei and Transkei, and argues that land tenure reform on its own is unlikely to foster agricultural development. Other constraints such as inadequate access to capital, to infrastructure and to agricultural services must also be overcome if agricultural development is to be achieved. The author makes several suggestions as to how general rural development may be promoted in the interim period while the more significant constraints mentioned above are being confronted.

Notes

The author is grateful to Alistair Kerr, Murray Leibbrandt and Michael Whlsson for their helpful comments on the first draft of this article.

Senior lecturer, Department of Anthropology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown.