Rural residents remain mere peasants

SOUTH Africa celebrated 20 years of freedom this year, but still rural dwellers do not have land they can claim to be their own – to trade it or use it as collateral to fund startup businesses.

After 20 years of so-called freedom they still remain mere serfs or peasants on the land they have lived and worked on for decades.

Private property rights for rural people is a subject hardly mentioned in the media or dealt with by political parties in their election manifestos.

As a rural resident my freedom is limited to which party I would prefer to oppress me with their bureaucratic rules, regulations and corruption. I do not have true freedom in that I’m the king of my own castle.

I believe giving private property rights to rural people will be a harmless process compared to the redistribution of previously white controlled farms, which are left idle a few years down the line.

By making rural land tradable, even without the need to use it as security, makes a community bankable, facilitating access to a range of financial services and ensuring economic growth.

I also think giving private property rights to rural residents has the potential of reducing urban migration and government dependency which has exponentially increased over the years.

MVUMENI MZIMELA