AfriForum dispels myth that whites own 72% of land in South Africa at property rights conference
AfriForum today debunked the myth regarding 72% white ownership of land during a conference on property rights. The conference, held in Pretoria, aimed to examine the various misperceptions and lies about land ownership, land reform and expropriation without compensation. The findings presented at this conference will form an important part of both the domestic and international component of AfriForum’s ongoing fight to protect private property rights.
According to the organisation, various allegations in South Africa’s controversial and emotional debate about land are presented as facts without proper investigation into their accuracy.
AfriForum also made a fact sheet available during the conference that challenges these myths about land ownership. The conference was attended, among others, by representatives from the American embassy as well as the embassy of the Netherlands.
The first speaker was Ernst van Zyl, Head of Public Relations at AfriForum, who outlined counter arguments and evidence to the most popular myths about land in South Africa. Van Zyl further explained how the 2017 Land Audit, that is still cited to this day in important land debates and policy decisions, is deeply flawed. Finally, he unpacked how the South African government has failed in regards to land reform projects, and proposed alternative solutions.
Burgert Gildenhuys, an expert in municipal planning, spatial, economic development, and local government finances, explained how flawed the government’s attempts at racialised land ownership calculations have been. Finally, Dr Theo de Jager, Chairperson of the Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai), provided a farmer’s perspective on threats to private property rights in South Africa. The three speakers sat down for a panel discussion, led by AfriForum’s Louis Boshoff, where the themes of their presentations were connected.
According to Van Zyl the continued citation of the 2017 Land Audit’s statistics in 2026 and beyond is unintentionally misleading at best and deeply dishonest at worst. “The claim that whites ‘control 72% of the land’ is disinformation, in the original and true sense of the word.”
“The issue of land remains complex and multi-dimensional. It is in the interest of honest public debate, sound policymaking and improved race relations, that AfriForum calls for a more balanced, evidence-based and less racialised discourse surrounding land and property rights in South Africa. We thank everyone who is standing with us in this important fight,” Van Zyl concludes.
