Over 55 million hectares of land in Africa have been
“grabbed” since 2000, according to research presented at a
conference on Wednesday.
More land had been “grabbed” in Africa
between 2000 and 2012 than in the rest of the world combined, Dr
Blessing Karumbidza, senior research associate at the Durban
University of Technology, told the Africa land Grab conference in
Midrand. He made a presentation on behalf of Prof Robert Home from
Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom.
Land grabs were
broadly defined as large-scale land acquisitions which displaced
vulnerable communities and farmers, with disregard for the rights of
these people and social and environmental impacts. They took place
without free prior and informed consent, within the context of poor
institutional governance structures. Large multinational companies,
with the consent of the state, and the state itself, were implicated
in land grabs.
A contributing factor to land grabs was the legacy of
the colonial land ownership system which, following decolonisation,
left the question of who owned what land unresolved. “Even in
countries like South Africa, where they have the resources… the
knowledge of who owns what specific land is not yet clear,”
Karumbidza said. “The whole governance framework is not yet
resolved within South Africa and across the continent. What is the
best land system that would suit Africa?” he asked.
The land system that would best suit Africa is the same land system that would best suit all regions of the world - that of common ownership, democratically 'controlled' for the benefit of all, not for profit - a novel idea in a global capitalist system?
JS
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