This archival paper takes a hard look at the claim that Communal Property Institutions established as part of South Africa's land reform programme are failing. It argues that there are no meaningful indicators against which assessments of success or failure can be made. It asserts that the tenure security of the group and its members should be the primary purpose of land reform CPIs because secure tenure is the primary mechanism for reducing risk for vulnerable people and is the universal need of the group.

This think piece sets out to:

The review examines evolving ideas and approaches to rural development internationally from the 1950's to 2000s. It examines how the history of rural development in South Africa is embedded in the larger narrative of colonial land dispossession and the implementation of apartheid policies of separate development. It examines the various policy iniatives post 1994 relating to land reform, agriculture and rural development.

Land reform and rural development are routinely presented as key components of the poverty reduction strategy driven by the State. The restitution programme occupies a particular place in the broader land reform programme as it specifically seeks to redress the land dispossession which took place since 1913 and to alleviate the impoverishment and suffering it caused. Restitution is a hugely challenging undertaking which involves much more than the verification of claimants and the restoration of land.

Strategy Paper 1: Reflecting on practice – Lessons from international and South
African experiences of rural development.
Strategy Paper 2: The rural development context in the Northern Cape
Strategy Paper 3: Critical success factors for rural development in the Northern Cape.
Strategy Paper 4: Draft Northern Cape Rural Development Strategy – Activities and
Outcomes
Strategy Paper 5: Draft Northern Cape Rural Development Strategy - Institutional
Options