Abstract:
This article presents the challenges of administering the Land Redistribution and
Agricultural Development (LRAD) programme in the North West Province of
South Africa. The LRAD, which was launched in August 2001, is a market-led land
redistribution programme, which contributes to the redistribution of 30% of White
owned agricultural land to Black people by March 2014. In the North West Province,
this translated into redistribution of 2 035 680 hectares (i.e. 30% of 6 785 600 ha of
White owned agricultural land in the province) by the year 2014, of which by March
2007, 172 656 hectares had already been transferred through land redistribution
programmes. Political and administrative authority for administration of the LRAD
programme has been decentralised from the National to the Provincial sphere. This
is consistent with the intergovernmental arrangements of the Republic of South
Africa. It presents a governance regime within which the LRAD programme has to
be administered.
For public administration to be effective in achieving the above-mentioned targets,
implementing institutions, namely the North West Department of Agriculture,
Conservation and Environment (the DACE) and the North West Provincial Land
Reform Offi ce (NWPLRO), had to effectively integrate systems and procedures, as
well as co-ordinate the administrative activities required for joint administration of
the programme.
There was ineffective integration of policies, programmes, systems, and procedures
between the DACE and the NWPLRO, which undermined the administration of the LRAD programme in the North West Province. In addition, the DACE suffered from
administrative incapacity, which was partly due to the nature of the governance
regime pertaining to LRAD programme administration. Administrative incapacity
was also affected by the administration of government policy generally. The most
important challenge was the inter-governmental relations arrangements, which
imposed limits in terms of the allocation of fi nancial resources. The administrative
incapacity also undermined the endeavour to collaborate as far as LRAD programme
administration is concerned. This negatively impacted the planning phase as a result
of shortage of critical personnel.
Due to ineffective administration of the programme, the North West Province will
not reach its target of 30% of White owned agricultural land to be redistributed by
March 2014. Effective administration is instrumental towards the achievement of
land redistribution goals and objectives of Government.
