Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

18 August 2026

1-minute read

AFASA, the African Farmers Association of South Africa, believes that the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development is setting black farmers up for failure.

Mike Mlengana, former president of AFASA, claims that the process of land restitution is being put on a back burner and insufficient growth support is being provided for black farmers.  With no production support, no markets to dispatch their products to, competing with established white commercial farmers, and the added burden of having to pay rent and pay workers, government leasing farms to black farmers is setting them up for failure.

“Government seems not to have understood the contribution of agriculture to economic growth,” Mike stated acerbically. Instead of leasing land to farmers, government ought to have elected farmers according to a set criteria to own the land and should have made the means to provide them with finances and debt relief.

Engaging with government since 2007, different ministers have adopted varying strategies to address the problem, but to no avail. Black farmers are looking at legal options and are even considering bringing the country to a standstill by protesting with their tractors on highways to bring attention to the issue. According to Mike, approximately 8 million hectares of land are lying fallow, thus not contributing to the GDP.

Government can trigger the economy by making this land productive, he emphasized, by allowing black farmers access to finance.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat and Mike Mlengana here.