CAPE TOWN - The inter-ministerial committee (IMC) on land reform, chaired by deputy president David Mabuza, held its inaugural meeting on Friday afternoon, the presidency said in a statement.
The IMC, made up of the ministers of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, cooperative governance and traditional affairs, human settlements, justice and correctional services, finance, rural development and land reform, public works, public enterprises, water and sanitation and planning,monitoring and evaluation, was set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa last month.
The Presidency said while the committee acknowledged the slow pace of land reform, it also noted the progress made in ensuring the continued productive use of land.
"In this regard, it resolved that the approach to land reform must be based on three elements, namely, increased security of tenure, land restitution and land redistribution. This would be pursued without undermining the productive use of land that is already restituted and redistributed, thereby ensuring that this process does not negatively affect economic growth and agricultural production," a statement from the presidency said.
The IMC urged South Africans to continue engaging in debates around plans to expropriate land without compensation, in the public interest.
"As part of enhancing the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Land Reform, I will lead the process of engaging community sectors, traditional leaders, farmers and other civil society formations on the implementation of government programmes aimed at acceleration of land reform," Mabuza was quoted as saying.