In Mwanza, Tanzania, Nairukoki Leyian-Naisinyai tells me that here, "Corporations come with papers from the government claiming that they have the right to our land." She points to the large corporations that have entered the lands of the Maasai people to mine rubies and tanzanite. The Maasai can neither assert their rights to the land nor benefit from the mining of these precious resources.
Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka has said at least 260,000 people are on the waiting list to be allocated farms.Masuka was speaking during a field day in Kwekwe, before putting unproductive farmers on notice.The senior government official confirmed that at least 304 whites are occupying farms in the country.
“We have taken 99% of land from former white farmers and we have 304 white farmers occupying farming land. We have now given them tenure documents and offer letters,” he said.“On the other hand nearly 300,000 black farmers are occupying both A1 and A2 farms.
Citizens of rural communities across the country who are fighting for their land rights are outraged at the government’s treatment of them, likening it to apartheid and colonialism.
Violence, intimidation, assassinations and dispossession are continuing in parts of the country as black South Africans struggle to defend their land rights against moves by the government, often in cahoots with traditional leaders and private companies.
This blog describes the common trends and actions across the projects, and is enriched with additional insights from the LANDac Annual Conference 2022 and other events.
Main photo: Bolortuya Bekh-Ochir, right, and Jargalsuren Tungalagzaya fill a trough with water for a herd of goats in Mongolia's Gobi desert region (URANCHIMEG TSOGKHUU, GPJ MONGOLIA)
