White farmers set to lose land

2006-02-06 18:22

Johannesburg - South Africa will from next month start large-scale expropriations of land from white farmers after years of fruitless compensation negotiations, a top official told AFP on Monday.

Tozi Gwanya, South Africa's chief land claims commissioner, said the "willing buyer, willing seller" model would no longer apply to land restitution claims as many white farmers wanted more money than the government was prepared to pay.

"There are in excess of 7 000 claims that have been outstanding," he said, referring to efforts by the government to redress apartheid-era land grabs in which many members of the black majority lost ancestral holdings.

"We have been negotiating with some white farmers for two or three years especially in four provinces - Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and KwaZulu Natal - and this has to stop," he said.

"From March, we will begin expropriating land for which negotiations have gone on for that period or more," he said, explaining that a six-month deadline would be imposed on new cases.

"We cannot wait longer," said Gwanya.

South Africa in October started the first of its land expropriation moves, targeting farmer Hannes Visser's 500ha holding, which was bought by his father in 1968. Visser is contesting the action.

- SAPA