Regulation of foreign land ownership proposed in South Africa

Hmmm, now this is a curious report. "Measures to curb or control foreign ownership of land in South Africa are proposed in a government-commissioned report, a copy of which was obtained on Monday". Now why would the South African Government want to do this? Surely it would be helpful for the country to have more foreign investment? Here's another report on the expert committee.

But no, the problem is different. The ANC is currently very very far behind the issue of land redistribution and the "natives are restless" if you excuse the pun. Looking at the sheer disastrous and incompetent mess that Robert Mugabe has done in Zimbabwe, it obviously wants to avoid it.

But to cut up land from commercial farms, parcel it out, provide restitution to the owners, provide farm implements, training, irrigation, roads, market place, etc. etc. is quite complex. Remember that land redistribution is extra-ordinarily difficult to pull off successfully (India is one of the places where it has happened reasonably well!).

But the ANC is running way behind for a variety of reasons. See here, here, and this quote

In 1994 when apartheid ended, whites owned 80% of the land. The new government promised land would belong to all who worked it. But this has not happened and whites still own 75% of the country.

The government has to do something fast but looking at the solutions given and the aim to find out the nationality of the owners, I am very afraid that the ANC will blame the foreigners. This will immediately mean that the white farmers will be targeted just like Zimbabwe.

The crime in South Africa is unbelievable. Strangely enough, the world media ignored a large demonstration here in London where South African citizens protested against the crime in South Africa. This is the reverse racism in action. Crime and racism is only newsworthy when it is done by the whites, not by the blacks. Try to find something major on this in coverage on BBC, Times, etc. etc.

But most of the perpretators of the crimes are dispossessed and unemployed black youth. And the ANC is falling behind in land reform and employment generation, which is in turn pushing up crime and and and. I dont have a good feeling about South Africa at this moment. And the current president Thabo Mbeki is a blithering idiot for his treatment of Zimbabwe, his Health Minister, his Deputy Health Minister, his treatment of the odious countries such as Libya and Iran when he was on the UNSC, his bizarre thoughts about AIDS....


All this to be taken with a grain of piquant salt!!!