Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti told Parliament yesterday that a Green Paper, in which it would be proposed that all productive land be declared a national asset, would be tabled next month.
Speaking during his department's budget vote, Nkwinti said the Green Paper will propose a three-tier land tenure system that would prohibit the sale of state land and put private land under freehold "with limited extent".
If implemented, the system would curtail foreign ownership of land - land would be made available to foreigners only if it were productive and the foreigners agreed to a partnership with South Africans.
For the proposals to be enacted, Parliament would have to amend section 25 of the Constitution, which deals with the protection of private property against state expropriation.
Nkwinti said the proposed change was necessary because it was "clear" that the current land reform programmes were not sustainable and "have not provided the anticipated benefits to the recipients of the programme".
"The monetary implications to transfer the remaining 19million hectares of land by 2014 have been calculated at approximately R72-billion if we are to continue to pursue the 'willing buyer, willing seller' model.
"It is clear that the current land reform environment is the result of weaknesses in overall land management, policy and legislation," he said.
For the constitutional amendment to be passed, the ANC will need a two-thirds majority in Parliament. It currently has a 60% majority.
The DA vowed to oppose the amendment and accused the department of trying to nationalise private farms.
It warned that the move would "scare investors off".
The department of rural development and land reform has denied that its intention is to nationalise the country's arable land.
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