South Africa: Land Reform Committee Calls for Decisive Action to Advance Women’s Access to Land and Economic Empowerment

The Portfolio Committee on Land Reform and Rural Development welcomed the Commission for Gender Equality’s (CGE) presentation on women’s access to land, economic empowerment and communal land ownership this week, but expressed concern about persistent barriers that prevent women from accessing, controlling and benefiting economically from land.

The report noted that despite constitutional commitments to equality and equitable land access, women in communal areas still face insecure tenure. Added to this, they also face patriarchal norms, patrilineal inheritance, male-dominated traditional governance and discriminatory allocation practices. Women also face financial exclusion, limited access to technology and gender stereotypes that further constrain their economic participation.

According to the CGE, fewer than 35% of women surveyed owned land, compared with over 50% of men. This puts women at a disadvantage when they need access to collateral and formal finance, which further undermines their ability to establish businesses and raise an income.

The committee stressed that land reform must go beyond just allocating land. It must also secure women’s rights and promote the productive use of land. Furthermore, access to finance and markets, infrastructure and sustainable economic opportunities are essential for women to participate meaningfully in the rural economy.

The CGE also informed Members that more women farm and run small and micro businesses than men. This highlights rural communities’ untapped economic potential. The committee noted that integrated land reform and rural development interventions will help unlock this potential.

The committee also heard that administrative and financial obstacles remain significant. Registration and occupancy costs, complex procedures and bureaucratic delays disproportionately affect women who are already economically vulnerable and who are also inadequately represented in traditional councils and other structures for land governance.

The committee was also informed that, in Eastern Cape communities, reported costs for land ranged from R100 to over R100 000. Some applicants even face additional allocation-related expenses and uncertainty over pricing. The committee called for transparent, fair and accountable administration to prevent economic vulnerability from becoming another barrier to land access.

The committee expressed support for comprehensive legislative and policy measures that will address gender disparities and ensure greater participation by women in traditional leadership and land governance. The committee also supports gender-disaggregated monitoring, documented allocation procedures, stronger financial inclusion and improved mechanisms for asserting land rights. The committee noted that these measures must address both access to land and the conditions needed for women to derive lasting economic benefits from it.

It also noted recommendations for enforceable, monitored measures within existing land reform policies and affordable finance that addresses collateral requirements disadvantaging women without land or property. Meaningful land reform, the committee noted, requires gender equality to be evident in who receives land and holds secure rights. It must also be evident in who participates in decisions and benefits economically.

The committee undertook to continue exercising its oversight mandate to encourage better implementation, monitoring and accountability in advancing access to land for women as well as their access to rural economic opportunities.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.