The overall aims of this thematic study are to identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems of land tenure and land administration in South Africa, and to explore the implications of these strengths and weaknesses for the promotion of employment-intensive land reform. The study sets out to: to describe and characterize the range of land tenure systems found in South Africa at present, with a particular focus on the security of tenure of those who have obtained access to land through land reform and those living in communal areas, where most smallholder farmers are located; to describe the character of systems of land administration in South Africa at present and to assess their strengths and weaknesses, with a particular focus on rural areas; to assess the degree to which the tenure reform programme undertaken since 1994 has been effective in securing the land rights of black South Africans; to summarize and assess recent policy proposals for tenure reform and land administration emanating from the High Level Panel of Parliament and the Presidential Advisory Panel on Land Reform; to examine the implications of this assessment for a programme of land redistribution aimed at supporting smallholders and small-scale black commercial farmers and promoting employment intensiveness, with a focus on the institutional and capacity requirements.
