As South Africa observes Heritage Month, the Vumelana Advisory Fund has called for an increased focus on tourism in land reform as land remains a vital part of our heritage.
Peter Setou, CEO of the fund, a nonprofit organisation that helps land reform beneficiaries put their land to productive use, said confining the outcomes of the land reform programme to agricultural activity is not only narrow and short-sighted but deprives land reform beneficiaries of the opportunity to use their newly acquired assets optimally for non-agricultural activities such as conservation and tourism.
Setou points out that discussions about the land reform programme have disproportionately focused on how well the beneficiaries have used the land for agricultural purposes, without considering the suitability of the land for non-agrarian activities.
According to the National Treasury, South Africa’s total land area is about 122.3-million hectares, of which farmland makes up 100.6-million hectares. Of this, 83.3% is grazing land with only 16.7-million hectares considered potentially arable land, according to the Development Bank of Southern Africa.
Setou said: “This creates opportunities for beneficiaries of the land reform programme to consider opportunities in non-agricultural ventures such as conservation and the tourism sector and to leverage the country’s unparalleled diverse ecosystem to offer a variety of experiences, from adventure tourism, wildlife safaris and natural scenic wonders to conservation of unique flora and fauna and cultural heritage.”
He notes that the latest Economic Impact Research by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) indicates that the total contribution of travel and tourism to the economy is projected at about R659bn, equivalent to 8.9% of the national GDP.
The sector has one of the highest job absorption rates and is forecast to support about 1.9-million jobs in 2025, up from 1.8-million people in 2024, according to the WTTC.
Setou said the department of tourism’s undertakings to boost tourism, such as improving the visa regime and increasing the number of direct flights to South Africa, are beginning to bear fruit, as indicated by the surge in the number of visitors from countries affected by these policy changes.
He said successful implementation of the land reform programme has the potential to accelerate the growth of the tourism sector by deflating simmering fears of wanton land grabs and encouraging nervous investors to plough much-needed capital into tourism-related projects.
According to Setou, the organisation has facilitated key partnerships, including the Barokologadi-ERP Melorane Game Reserve Partnership, which led to agreements with Elephants, Rhinos & People in 2015 and 2016 to develop tourism lodges near Madikwe Game Reserve.
This also includes the Mkambati Nature Reserve-Gwegwe Camp Tourism Partnership, a lease-based agreement for a developer to invest over R65m in a 110-bed lodge and 10 villas in the Eastern Cape. Ownership of the lodge will revert to the community trust at the end of the lease.
While there are challenges in the implementation of land reform, he notes the importance of sharing success stories and lessons that key stakeholders can learn from.
“This will go a long way to ensure that past mistakes are not repeated. The land reform programme presents synergies that should be explored, where the claimant communities have the land assets, and the private investors have the required capital, the expertise as well as access to markets.
“A meeting of minds between these two entities is the sweet spot we should be striving to hit.”
TimesLIVE
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