The Expansion of African Private Land Ownership in Isidenge, Stutterheim, Eastern Cape 1994–2024

A strong narrative persists in South Africa about the dim pace of redistribution of agricultural land since 1994. Government-published figures on the state-funded land reform programmes provide some basis for analysis; but no figures exist for land outside of such programmes. Figures based on different types of research vary. This article details evolving African private landownership in the Isidenge valley, near Stutterheim, Eastern Cape province. It is based on research in the Deeds Office supplemented by interviews. In an area of about 3700 ha, we find that most agricultural land transfers have been to black purchasers, largely without state assistance. We provide quantification of this evidence, explore profiles of purchasers, and outline their agricultural activities. We also discuss a residential site in the valley, Bongolwethu, and its impact on property relations. Most private purchasers find it difficult to operate profitably and generate income from a variety of sources. They are constrained by a lack of capital and some also by the difficulty to secure control over land. This case study provides a picture, not evident in much of the literature on land reform or rural society, of land transfers that have not been strictly reliant on the state.