Former ANC councillor accuses government of ignoring rural women’s land rights

By Celani Sikhakhane

• Dr Nhlapho presented research at a conference in Wuhan, China, saying rural women remain excluded from land ownership despite the Constitution promising gender equality and land rights.

• She says women in rural areas face social isolation, limited access to education and barriers to information about land reform which keeps them poor and powerless.

A former ANC councillor in Durban has accused the government of failing rural women on land redistribution.

Dr Sibongile Nhlapho, now an academic, presented her research at a conference in Wuhan, China, recently.

She says the government needs new policies that will actually change the lives of rural women across South Africa.

“The democratic government has struggled to give women a strong voice in land redistribution. Despite the Constitution promising gender equality, rural women remain largely excluded from land ownership,” said Dr Nhlapho.

She said there is a big gap between what the law promises and what actually happens on the ground.

Covid-19 made things worse. The International Fund for Agricultural Development says the pandemic exposed how poverty affects women more than men.

Dr Nhlapho said women are now leaving rural areas to look for work in cities and other African countries because they cannot survive without land.

She said when big farms are given out, rural women do not benefit. The question is who gets the land and how it is managed.

Dr Nhlapho said transparent land allocation and recognition of local rights are essential. Without strong governance and accountability, land reforms will continue to push rural women aside and make inequality worse.

This raises questions about whether the Constitution really upholds its commitment to gender equality, especially for rural women who cannot own land or take part in decisions.

Women in rural areas face social isolation and have limited access to education and training. They also struggle to get information about land reform programmes.

Dr Nhlapho said this keeps women in an inferior position in society and makes their poverty worse than men’s poverty.

She said poverty has a face and that face is women.

Pictured above: Dr Sibongile Nhlapho who is a former eThekwini ANC councillor addressing the 11th International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities in the City of Wuhan in China.

Image source: Supplied