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South Africa: Jacob Zuma and the ANC face tough test in the coming elections
Land ownership is also still largely in white hands. The latest official statistics show that 4.4 million hectares of land have been redistributed since 1994 – roughly 5 percent of “white-owned” land.
Political economist Kwandile Kondlo believes that the gains registered in the past 20 years ring hollow without the land issue being addressed. “Black people are beginning to feel that they have been hard done by as far as land ownership is concerned,” he said. “We can’t honestly claim success if we have not made progress in that area.”
The emotive subject is a central plank of the new Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party led by Julius Malema. He promises expropriation of land from whites without compensation and the nationalization of the mines and banks.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, a successor to a series of reincarnated white liberal parties has growing black leadership and support and is expected to boost its share of the vote from 16.6 percent in 2009 to 23.1 percent, according to the poll.
Source: AFP
