Who owns South Africa’s land? Nyhontso admits government has no updated figures
Land Reform Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso says government has no updated statistics on foreign land ownership, with the latest audit showing foreign nationals owned 0.56% of South Africa’s total land area.
South African Land Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso revealed that the government lacks current statistics on who owns land in the country. When asked by African Transformation Movement MP Vuyo Zungula, Nyhontso stated that the most recent information available, from the 2017 Land Audit, showed foreign nationals owned 0.56% of South Africa's land, or about 789,932 hectares.
Zungula criticized the lack of updated data, noting that a decade had passed since the last audit, and the minister still lacked knowledge about land ownership. He emphasized that the audit could only confirm the nationality of land registered in individuals' names, not corporations, trusts, or other juristic persons.
The 2017 audit revealed that the Northern Cape had the most land owned by non-South Africans, followed by the Western Cape, Free State, and Limpopo. However, the department was unable to determine if the land was used for agriculture, commerce, or residential purposes, nor could they classify how foreign-owned corporations used it.
Zungula asked whether the government planned to introduce new laws to regulate land ownership by foreigners, but Nyhontso said the department was still developing such legislation, which needed Cabinet approval.
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