Tori be say Bernard Shabangu grandfather, Bhobho, use im arrow kill one lion wey bin dey terrorise im community for Mpumalanga, one province for eastern South Africa. Di story na say di lion bin dey fear pipo well-well sotay even di white pipo wey get guns dey run wen e start to roar.
“One day, my grandfather bin waka go up di hill wit im spear and shield wia di lion dey roar”. Bernard tok. “Di lion charge come wia im dey, but my grandfather spear hit am and im die, sake of dis, dem make am Headman for im bravery.”
As a Headman, or traditional leader, Bhobho bin get cattle and land. Den one day for mid-1950s, dem take away eviritin from am wit no compensation under one law dem introduce for 1950 wey dem call di Group Areas Act. E state say South Africa apartheid goment fit choose certain areas for use by a single race.
For di early 1990s, under democracy, South Africa new constitution allow di return of land wey dem take from black farmers to return back to dem. But dem do so wit great care wit di setting-up of new cross-community partnerships wey dem encourage.
In dis spirit, wen Bernard, now 48, and im community decide to reclaim dia land, dem agree to work in partnership wit di white farmers wey bin dey work on am.
“We no tok say we want di white folks to leave,” Bernard tok. “Dem dey hia, dem dey work with us, dem dey support us… we tok say dat partnership na wetin go take dis kontri forward.”
Today, di Matsamo Communal Property Association and dia partners employ ova 2,000 pipo from di local community and na di kontri biggest exporter of lychee to US. E also dey grow papaya, sugar cane and banana for local supermarkets. Many dey hail Matsamo as an example of wetin successful land reform fit look like for South Africa.
But for some for di kontri, progress on land reform dey too slow. For January, President Cyril Ramaphosa bin sign into law a bill wey allow, for some circumstances, land to dey seized by di state without compensation.
Opponents argue say na threat to di principle of private ownership. And among those opponents na Donald Trump. Im say di new bill na “hateful rhetoric” towards “racially disfavored landowners.”
Oga Trump say im go pause all aid to South Africa, wey fit dey worth around $320m (£253m) according to di US Agency for International Development. Some dey worry say e fit eventually exclude South Africa from one trade agreement, estimated by di office of di US trade representative to dey worth $14.7bn (£11.6bn) a year.
Di challenge wey Rampahosa dey face dey somehow: di koko na weda im fit find a way to speed up di land reform to cool di temper of im political friends and enemies, without losing one of di kontri biggest trading partners?
Risk to property rights
Three and a half hours’ drive west of di Matsamo CPA, near di town of Ermelo, na Lion du Plessis farm. Im be Afrikaner farmer, a descendant of Huguenots wey be run from France. Im dey work and dey live for di farm wey im grandfather acquire for 1970s. Im dey grow maize and soybeans, as well as dey raise sheep and cattle. Im farm spread across a thousand green hectares wit one cool lake for di middle.
“Dem born me for dis farm, I grow up hia and I don dey dis farm since 2012, “im tell me for di middle of one of im fields.
For Lion, di new expropriation act go threaten property rights and na risk for farmers.
“Expropriation no be problem if compensation dey, but di compensation must dey just and fair and equitable.”
Im argue say without private property rights, farms like dis no go fit borrow money.
“If you put a tool like dis for goment hands, wia dem fit just take land, or take any property for dat matter, e no dey economically viable to invest for South Africa.
“For agriculture, we need private property in order to access capital, we need to borrow money from banks or from agricultural corporations to cover our costs. And we no get private property rights, we no fit get money and we no fit get capital.”
Di impact di bill fit get on foreign investment na also concern to AfriForum, one group wey dey seek to protect di rights of Afrikaners.
“We know say international investors, if dem hear di term “no compensation”, and you give dat power to many state organisations, wetin dem call expropriation authority, e go affect investment,” na wetin CEO Kallie Kriel tell me.
But for Bernard, dis laws na careful attempt to address long-standing unfairness. Im insist: “Land reform for South Africa no go be a land grab. Wetin di president dey propose na a constitutionally-managed process of land reform for di public good, to say black and white pipo for South Africa must share di land wey dey dia.”
Addressing historic inequalities
Professor Ruth Hall from di Institute for Poverty, Land, and Agrarian Studies of di University of di Western Cape argue say, di issue of access to land for South Africa go back to bifor di start of formal apartheid for 1948.
“If we think about di history of South Africa, dis na wetin we fit call a settler colony. Na colony wey large numbers of European settlers, ova many centuries, bin come and settle, dem pursue di indigenous pipo,” she tok.
By di end of di 19th Century, most of di land wey currently dey for South Africa white pipo collect am.
Di Natives Land Act of 1913 define less dan one-tenth of South Africa as Black “reserves” and stop any purchase or lease of land by Blacks outside di reserves.
She say di subsequent Group Areas Act only promote di division and further reduce economic opportunities for black pipo.
Prof Hall call am”structural apartheid geography” and explain say dis still “dey very much intact,” today. She describe how even though say black middle class for South Africa dey grow, but still fundamental problems still dey for di majority of black South Africans “wey either no get access to well located land for di cities or dey live for rural areas without secure rights.”
Agriculture sill remain one of di main sources of economic revenue for di kontri, but di majority of commercial agricultural land still dey di hands of di white minority wey dey make up to around 7% of di population.
Debate dey go on now whether di no-compensation clause na breach of section 25 of di constitution, wey establish property rights for all South Africans.
Kallie Kriel feel say di bill full of abuse. Im say: “Actually, expropriating authority fit use any reason, wey fit be a corrupt or radical municipality.”
But land lawyer Bulelwa Mabasa, wey bin dey one panel wey bin advise President Cyril Ramaphosa on land reform, feel say dem get “sufficient safeguards” and say e dey clear wen expropriation fit take place: “Expropriation authority get very heavy burden on dem to get reports from different departments, to justify di need for di expropriation in di first place and justify di need for expropriation without compensation.”
Mission wey no dey fulfilled
For 1996, di South African goment launch dia land reform programme, dem promise to settle all claims for redistribution by 2005 and to redistribute 30% of white-owned commercial agricultural land to black South Africans by 2014.
Prof Hall explain say: “Di state get mandate say e must actually redistribute land. e must deal wit historical claims to land.”
AfriForum admit say no large-scale land seizures don take place and dem add say majority of land still remain for di hands of di white minority.
But to balance dis obligation to redistribute wit property rights no go ever dey straightforward.
Trump and Musk chook mouth
And now wey di debate around land ownership don go beyond di borders of South Africa due to di recent intervention of US President Donald Trump, wey bin issue executive order on 7 February, just two and a half weeks afta im enta office. Di order claim say di expropriation act go” enable di goment of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation”.
Di executive order claim say di act dey part of a number of discriminatory policies and “hateful rhetoric” towards “racially disfavored landowners”.
Di American President also accuse Pretoria of taking aggressive positions towards di United States and dia allies, including accusing Israel of genocide for Gaza for di International Court of Justice (ICJ), plus strengthening dia ties wit Iran.
Na sake of di result of dis actions, Trump say im go pause all aid to South Africa and offer to resettle all “Afrikaner refugees wey dey escape goment-sponsored race-based discrimination”.
South Africa case against Israel dey seen by some as evidence say dem support Hamas, in addition to di close ties dem get wit Iran.
“South Africa dey try to maintain dia alliance wit North America and Europe, while at di same time,dem dey build dia relationship wit dia partners for global South,” na so Prof Hall tok. “Di way I see am na say, South Africa attempt to play both sides for an increasingly polarised world na wetin really dey play out hia.”
Trump no be di only pesin for administration wey don take interest for South Africa internal affairs. Elon Musk follow too, Na im dey im charge of managing goment efficiency for US. Na for Pretoria dem born Musk, im don dey try to get license for im Starlink telecommunications business for South Africa.
But under di kontri Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy, black pipo dey required to get 30% ownership of telecom firms. Musk call BEE “racist”. Currently, only 3% of di kontri top companies dey controlled by black South Africans.
Trump promise fit backfire?
Every year, US president dey review di African kontris wey go kotinu to dey part of di African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). E dey allow some African kontris to export goods to US duty free and dis dey credited wit creating thousands of jobs across di continent, including for South Africa.
But now, many dey fear say Donald Trump promise to cut all “future funding to South Africa” fit exclude dem.
Doing so fit, however, dey a bit blunt – Prof Hall point out say coming out of AGOA fit ironically somehow affect di white farmers Donald Trump say im wan protect.
“I go tell you say most white farmers dey more worried about dis act on our trade deal wit di US dan dem dey about land expropriation,” she tok.
Dem fit settle dis mata ?
So di koko na if South African goment, and President Cyril Ramaphosa ANC specifically, fit satisfy those wey believe say further land reform na must without US freezing dem out economically and dem losing foreign investors?
One job na to work out wetin really dey push Donald Trump. Nomvula Mokonyane, Deputy Secretary General of di ANC tok, she no believe say dis dey only about di issue of land, she feel say South Africa position ova Israel fit get hand inside dis mata.
She say: “Our view be say we need to let our goment engage di American administration, so dat den we understand whether we dey deal wit di issue of di expropriation of land, or we dey deal wit many oda issues… related to Palestine and so on and so forth.”
Di signing of di expropriation bill dey come afta ANC find diaself for coalition wit oda parties for di first time, and dem fit dey try to signal to black voters say dem still dey willing to fight for dia rights.
Afta Oga Trump funding freeze tok, Oga Ramaphosa tok for im state of di nation address earlier dis month say South Africa no go dey bullied. Dis na one of di few positions wey all im coalition partners appear to agree wit am.
Prof Hall no see so much possibility of any kind of U-turn on di new law. She say: “We tok clearly say di Expropriation Act na law wey democratic parliament pass. Im don sign am into law, wey be im obligation as state president.”
Already, South Africa dey feel di effects of US diplomatic pressure: both di US secretary of state and di treasury secretary no gree join dia counterparts for dis month G20 meetings wey South Africa host. Many dey concerned say Donald Trump fit no show for di leaders summit later dis year.
President Ramaphosa don promise to send envoys to US and oda kontris to explain im kontripositions on di expropriation act, di war for Middle East, as well as some of dia oda foreign policy decisions.
Whether South Africa go fit soften di current heat wey dey come from Washington, without compromising on dia national priorities na big test for dem.
Lion du Plessis see di new Expropriation Act as a threat to property rights
Agriculture na key part of South Africa economy, yet most commercial farmland dey owned by di white minority
For January, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa approve one law wey go allow di state to seize land without compensation for certain cases
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