What Is the ANC Policy on Land Reform? Sources Explained

What is the ANC policy on land reform? In short, the ANC holds that land must be shared more equitably, to correct the dispossession of colonialism and apartheid. It pursues this through restitution, redistribution and tenure reform, within Section 25 of the Constitution, and supports expropriation where it is just and equitable and does not undermine food security.

That summary rests on documents you can read yourself: the Freedom Charter, the Constitution, ANC National Conference resolutions and the legislation passed by Parliament. This guide explains each one in plain language and shows you where to go next. For the movement's own material, visit the official ANC website.

Where does the ANC's land policy come from?

The ANC's position did not begin with a recent election. It grows out of more than a century of struggle against laws that removed people from their land.

The Natives Land Act of 1913 restricted where Black South Africans could own or occupy land. The ANC was founded in 1912, and opposition to dispossession has been part of its work ever since. Later apartheid laws, including the Group Areas Act and forced removals, deepened that injustice.

In 1955 the Congress of the People at Kliptown adopted the Freedom Charter. Its declaration that "the land shall be shared among those who work it" remains the ANC's foundational statement on the subject. It is the first document to read if you want to understand the movement's intent.

What do the ANC's policy documents actually say?

When people ask what the ANC's land policy is, they usually mean a handful of documents. Here is what each one contributes.

• The Freedom Charter (1955): sets the principle that land should be shared and that the restoration of land rights is part of a just society.
• The Reconstruction and Development Programme (1994): the ANC's election platform when it first governed, which made land reform a pillar of redress.
• The Constitution of 1996, Section 25: protects property but also obliges the state to take reasonable measures to enable citizens to gain access to land on an equitable basis.
• ANC National Conference resolutions: the 54th National Conference at Nasrec in December 2017 resolved that expropriation without compensation should be pursued as one of the mechanisms to accelerate land reform, while safeguarding agricultural production and food security.

Conference resolutions guide ANC members and public representatives. They become law only when Parliament passes legislation, which is why the legal documents below matter as much as the party ones.

What is the ANC policy on land reform in practice? The three pillars

South Africa's land reform programme, which ANC-led governments have implemented since 1994, rests on three pillars. They are set out in the Constitution and in a series of Acts of Parliament.

| Pillar | What it means | Key law or provision |

|---|---|---|

| Restitution | Returning land, or providing alternative redress, to people dispossessed after 19 June 1913 through racially discriminatory laws | Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994; Section 25(7) |

| Redistribution | Broadening access to land for people who were excluded from it | Section 25(5) of the Constitution |

| Tenure reform | Securing the rights of people who live on land without secure title, including farm dwellers and communal residents | Section 25(6); Extension of Security of Tenure Act of 1997 |

Restitution deals with specific historical claims. Redistribution is about access more broadly. Tenure reform is about security for people already living on the land. Many households in rural and peri-urban areas depend on this third pillar.

What does the ANC say about expropriation without compensation?

This is the part of land policy that attracts the most questions, so it helps to be precise about the sequence of events.

1. Constitution, Section 25: property may be expropriated for a public purpose or in the public interest, subject to compensation that is just and equitable.
2. December 2017: the ANC's Nasrec conference resolved to pursue expropriation without compensation as one of the mechanisms of land reform, with safeguards for food security and the economy.
3. Parliamentary process: Parliament's Constitutional Review Committee held public hearings on whether Section 25 should be amended. A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly. The Eighteenth Amendment Bill did not secure that majority in 2021.
4. The Expropriation Act 13 of 2024: President Cyril Ramaphosa signed this Act in January 2025. It replaces the Expropriation Act of 1975 and sets out how the state may expropriate property in the public interest.

The 2024 Act says that expropriation must be just and equitable. It also states that, in limited circumstances described in the Act, a nil amount of compensation may be just and equitable. Affected parties retain the right to approach the courts. Read the Act itself for the exact wording, as summaries cannot replace the text.

How does the ANC link land reform to food security and the economy?

The ANC's published position treats land reform as both a justice issue and a development issue. The Nasrec resolution itself stressed that land reform should not harm agricultural production or food security.

In 2018 the President appointed a Presidential Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture, which reported in 2019. Its work reflects a broader recognition that redistribution should be paired with support for new farmers, such as access to finance, infrastructure and markets. Giving someone land without that support does not build a sustainable livelihood.

Parliament also passed the Land Court Act of 2023, which established a dedicated court to resolve land disputes and claims more efficiently.

Does land reform only concern farmland?

No. Land policy also covers the cities and towns where most South Africans live. Spatial inequality, a legacy of apartheid planning, means that many people live far from jobs, schools and clinics. Questions about well-located land for housing, informal settlement upgrading and municipal land release are decided largely at local level.

This is where ward structures and local branches matter. Councillors, ward committees and branch members raise land and housing concerns in their communities. If you want to see how the ANC links service delivery and local priorities, read our article Safer streets. Clinics that deliver.. Readers who prefer isiZulu can start with Umsebenzi wakho wokuqala uqala lapha edolobheni.

How can you check the ANC's land policy for yourself?

Policy is easy to distort in a few lines of social media text. Use this short routine to verify what you read:

1. Read the Freedom Charter and the ANC's conference resolutions on the ANC website.
2. Read Section 25 of the Constitution in full, not only the sections quoted in headlines.
3. Read the Expropriation Act 13 of 2024 and the Restitution of Land Rights Act as published by Parliament and the government.
4. Compare the date of each document. Conference resolutions, bills and signed Acts are different things.
5. For election-related questions, including anything about registering or voting, consult the Electoral Commission of South Africa at www.elections.org.za.

What is the ANC policy on land reform, and what can you do about it?

To return to the question: the ANC's policy on land reform is to widen access to land and secure rights for those who were dispossessed, through restitution, redistribution and tenure reform, guided by the Freedom Charter and implemented within the Constitution and legislation passed by Parliament.

Policy is shaped by members. Branches debate resolutions, send delegates to conferences and bring community concerns, including land and housing, into the movement. If you are interested in helping, you can learn how to join the ANC, explore ANC membership registration online, find an ANC branch near you, or ask how to volunteer in your ward. Councillor contact details for your area, including in Johannesburg, are also a good starting point for local land and housing issues.

Join the ANC or find your branch

If you want a say in how land reform is debated and delivered, the most direct way is to take part. Visit the ANC's official website to join the ANC or find your branch, and speak to local members about where you can contribute in your community.

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• ANC Branch Near Me: Find Your Branch by Province & Ward
• ANC Membership Registration Online: Step-by-Step Guide
• Ungayijoyina kanjani i-ANC? Izinyathelo ezilula
• ANC lebhu le bhranch kufuphi nami: Indlela yokulithola
• Umsebenzi wakho wokuqala uqala lapha edolobheni
• Safer streets. Clinics that deliver.
• Building better communities together

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