In 1994 the Black ruled government of South Africa planned on obtaining 30% of White owned farmland to give it away to Blacks. Thus far about 5% has been acquired. This slow pace is due to the principle of getting "willing" White sellers to turn over their farms at market price to the government. But the program isn't working. In part, Whites don't want to sell their land and in part because the government is running out of money to fund it. The deadline to accomplish the program is 2014 has now been postponed to 2025.

 

The government is now looking for other ways to acquire the White owned land and is trying to conjure up a more velvet gloved approach without looking like a carbon copy of Robert Mugabe's outright seizure of the land. South Africa's 40,000 White farmers are understandably fearful.

 

The land redistribution thus far given to the Blacks is discouraging. Over 70% of the farms given over to them have failed due to poor skills and management.

South Africa, which was once a net food exporter, under White rule now imports most of its food.

 

Unsure of what the future will bring, White farmers are hesitant to invest further in their land. Some have gone bust. Still others have abandoned the land, suffering from racially motivated attacks. Since 1991, 1,650 Whites have been killed in over 10,000 attacks. The government claims that 89% of those murders were for robbery and only 2% due to race hate. Pieter Mulder, the Deputy Agricultural Minister and head of the right-wing Freedom Front Plus party is sceptical.

 

Some are thinking of emigrating to other African countries who are trying to recruit White farmers to boost their own farming output. About 700 White farmers have already been recruited by other African countries.

 

Many white farmers put hope in that the governments inability to provide basic services for its teeming Black townships will put so-called land reform on the "back-burner".

 

They shouldn't count on it though as the country continues its slide to going native.