White South Africans Are Only 7% of the Total Population Yet Own 72% of the Farmland

The legacy of colonialism and apartheid continues to shape South Africa’s land ownership patterns, with the vast majority of farms and agricultural holdings still owned by white individuals and corporations. This stark racial imbalance is a direct result of centuries of land dispossession, discriminatory legislation, and the unequal distribution of resources under colonial and apartheid rule.

The Natives Land Act of 1913 was a pivotal piece of legislation that laid the foundation for the spatial segregation of South Africa along racial lines It restricted black South Africans to just 7% of the country’s land, while reserving the most fertile and productive areas for white ownership. This was followed by a series of other laws and commissions, such as the Glen Grey Act and the Lagden Commission, which further entrenched the idea of “native reserves” and the removal of Africans from white-owned land.

The consequences of these policies are still felt today. Farmworkers, the majority of whom are black, continue to live…