Another Countryside

BlogFeatured BlogUncategorizedWomen’s Land Tenure Security

Land tenure insecurity in Zimbabwe exposes rural communities to intimidation and arbitrary evictions

By Owen Dhliwayo and Refiloe Joala Munyokowere villagers versus the State In a recent court ruling, presided over by Justice Mwayera at the Mutare High Court on 24 July 2020, an interdict was granted to prevent the eviction of 750 households from their homes and agricultural land in Munyokowere village, Chipinge District in Manicaland Province, southeastern Zimbabwe. The interdict also…
PLAAS
November 6, 2020
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Problematic assumptions raise questions about South Africa’s new land reform plan

By Ben Cousins The South African government recently announced a plan to allocate 700,000 hectares of state land to black farmers. Exactly how many farms and beneficiaries this will involve is unclear. But there’s a huge amount wrong with the idea. First, it reproduces the core weaknesses of post-apartheid land and agricultural policies, which do little to reduce unemployment or…
PLAAS
October 30, 2020
BlogFeatured BlogUncategorizedWomen’s Land Tenure Security

Mulheres rurais exigem maior participação na Revisão da Política Nacional de Terras

Mulheres rurais exigem maior participação na Revisão da Política Nacional de Terras Uma nova política de terras em elaboração By Clemente Ntauazi, Joana Noyes, Refiloe Joala A 16 de Julho de 2020, o Presidente da República de Moçambique, Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, lançou a fase de auscultação pública para a Revisão da Política Nacional de Terras, que culminará com a alteração…
PLAAS
October 19, 2020
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700 000 ha of state land will be redistributed? More questions than answers

By Katlego Ramantsima ‘Minister Thoko Didiza announces over 700 000 ha of state land will be redistributed.’ This made headlines on almost all media platforms this past week. Land reform has generally been slow, and many, especially those who need agricultural land, were in cheerful spirits about these developments. This is a significant number of hectares in comparison to the…
PLAAS
October 12, 2020
BlogFeaturedFeatured BlogUncategorizedWomen’s Land Tenure Security

Rural women demand a seat at the table in Mozambique’s National Land Policy Review

By Clemente Ntauazi, Joana Noyes, Refiloe Joala A new land policy in the works On 16 July 2020, the President of the Republic of Mozambique, Filipe Jacinto Nyusi launched the public hearing phase of the National Land Policy Review, which will culminate in the amendment of the 1997 Land Law (Law no.19/97), and other laws and regulations that govern land…
PLAAS
October 7, 2020
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Collapse, conflict or social cohesion? Learning from livestock dipping associations in KwaZulu-Natal

By Tim Gibbs At a time when there is much talk about corruption and state failure, especially in local municipalities, the quiet revival of government subsidised cattle dipping in KwaZulu Natal (KZN) in recent years is an important ‘success story’ that deserves far more attention. Today, around 90-95% of the 1600 dipping tanks in the communal areas of the province…
PLAAS
October 5, 2020
BlogEquitable Access to LandFeatured BlogUncategorized

Will expropriation unlock land reform?

By Farai Mtero The National Assembly re-established the Adhoc Committee to amend Section 25 of the Constitution since the original committee could not continue its work on the 18th Constitutional Amendment on expropriation of land due to the Covid-19 national lockdown. This brings back onto the agenda a highly contested and divisive issue amongst South Africans. The point of contention…
PLAAS
August 10, 2020
BlogEquitable Access to LandFeatured BlogUncategorized

Draft National Policy on Beneficiary Selection and Land Allocation: Prospects for a pro-poor land reform?

By Farai Mtero South Africa’s land reform has shifted markedly from its pro-poor focus which was its key defining feature in the early years of democracy. The new Draft National Policy on Beneficiary Selection and Land Allocation presents an opportunity to rethink the direction of land reform in South Africa and reclaim the pro-poor land reform agenda. Recent research by…
PLAAS
August 10, 2020
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African small-scale fisheries in the time of Covid-19: Voices from the continent – A Nigerian perspective

By Kafayat A. Fakoya In Africa, Nigeria’s small-scale fisheries (SSF) sector is undisputedly the largest in terms of catch and employment. The sector provides food security, income and livelihoods to a conservative six million fisherfolk, and represents 70% of total fish production—most of which is accessible as an irreplaceable source of animal protein and micronutrients to a multitude of masses.…
PLAAS
July 2, 2020
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Is there space in South Africa for a democratic politics of life in response to Covid-19?

By Andries du Toit and Diana Mitlin More than sixty days after its commencement, South Africa is cautiously easing its way out of one of the most sweeping lockdowns of the global Covid 19 pandemic.  In many ways, this new phase—‘Level 3’ of the South African government’s risk-adjusted pandemic response—is turning out to be a confusing and ambiguous new time; …
PLAAS
June 11, 2020