Editorial: Fair land reform without violence

The author contends that while land redistribution is morally and politically necessary to address colonial inequities, success depends on systematic reform and support systems. Using examples from Kenya and South Africa, the text highlights the dangers of violent land grabs and the necessity of providing newly settled farmers with technical training, working capital, and market knowledge to ensure commercial viability.

• Successful land reform requires more than the physical transfer of land; it necessitates technical and financial support, advanced planning, and assistance for farmers to adapt to commercial techniques, build working capital, and understand quality control and foreign markets.
• In Kenya, land issues have been exacerbated by violent land grabs during pre-election pogroms in 1992 and 1997, where the politically powerful transferred government holdings and national parks to private hands, alongside tensions between farmers and pastoralists.
• South Africa's approach to resolving land claims from the apartheid era emphasizes the need for governments to ensure justice delivery systems are fair, adequately staffed, and capable of settling disputes timely.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2008). Editorial: Fair land reform without violence. https://saiia.org.za/research/editorial-fair-land-reform-without-violence/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Editorial: Fair land reform without violence. 2008. https://saiia.org.za/research/editorial-fair-land-reform-without-violence/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Editorial: Fair land reform without violence |date=28 April 2008 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/editorial-fair-land-reform-without-violence/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2008editorial, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Editorial: Fair land reform without violence}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2008}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/editorial-fair-land-reform-without-violence/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }