South Africa: Stalled land drive 'to take 80 years'

The land-redistribution programme is stagnating, with government managing to transfer only one-tenth of the 30% of land earmarked for emerging black farmers over the past six years. Government's failure to fast- track redistribution is highlighted in recent research reports, suggesting that at the current rate it will take 80 years for Land Affairs and Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza to reach the 30% target. Didiza's department on Friday acknowledged "lack of progress", blaming "bottlenecks in government's bureaucracy, rocketing prices of farmland and budgetary constraints".