Embed

Reaping Divine Justice

South Africa's white farmers brace for race war amid land expropriation debate

Colonialism and apartheid are long gone in South Africa, but racial disparities in income, jobs and, most importantly, land ownership remain a dividing issue. White people, who make up just 8.2 per cent of the population, own 72 per cent of all farms and agricultural holdings, while the black majority owns just four per cent of the land.

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) seeks to amend the constitution to legalise land seizure without paying for it. The move is “not only about correcting a great historical injustice; it is also an absolute economic necessity,” according to President, Cyril Ramaphosa.

That stark imbalance is rooted in the Natives’ Land Act of 1913, which restricted black rights to land ownership and gave almost all the country's real estate to the white minority. More than a century later, the African National Congress (ANC) that has ruled the country since the end of apartheid is now seeking to redress historical injustices through yet another attempt to redistribute land among black citizens.

This time though, the proposed land reforms include expropriation without compensation, and this has stoked fears among white South Africans. Radical activists feel empowered and ready to take land by force triggering a heated debate about whether the plan would really help heal South Africa’s unequal society.

Most of South Africa’s agricultural land belongs to the white minority, while black citizens are still dealing with the disparity of land ownership, a legacy of apartheid.

An RTD crew attempts to gauge public sentiment by talking to farmers and activists among Afrikaners, the descendants of Dutch settlers. We visit the white-only town of Orania to find out how they feel about the racial divide, the prospect of land expropriation and an alleged wave of farm attacks. We also meet Simon Roche, a spokesman for the Suidlanders survivalist group, whose members believe that all-out race war is inevitable in the country.

“I feel that my life and the life of my family members, and the future of my children are under threat in this country,” says farmer, Adi Schlebusch.

On the other side, Zanele Lwana of the radical 'Black First Land First' (BLF) party, known for its anti-white rhetoric, vehemently defends redistribution to black South Africans, as a member of the ruling ANC party, Ronald Lamola, outlines how the planned seizures will be carried out in practice. Meanwhile, ordinary people share their hopes for a better life on the promised lands.

Subscribe to get stories the mainstream media ignores: Subscribe RTD's Youtube

WATCH TRAILER
Please rate this film

7.93(44 users)

Published: 27 May 2019 01:45

Duration

53:21

Tags
Watch this film in Russian

don't miss

26:33
Politics 10 June 2019 00:57

Apples of Discord. Sanctions bite back - EU Farmers struggle after losing Russian market

26:33
Society 23 August 2019 00:32

The Coca Trap. Non-Narcos: Colombia’s coca growers fight for legal alternative to their trade

26:33
Human Rights 23 January 2017 00:00

Project Duterte. Law enforcement or mass terror? The Philippines’ war on drugs. With episodes in 360

26:33
Human Rights 30 January 2015 00:00

Argentina's Stolen Children. Grandmothers search for the babies of the military dictatorship victims

26:33
Society 26 April 2017 00:00

Granny Fight Club. Africa’s rape victims are learning to fight back

26:33
Crime and Terrorism 04 March 2019 11:10

Machete Boys of Congo. Kulunas: Inside the brutal world of youth gangs

26:33
Military and War 22 June 2016 00:00

Children of the Front. A rehabilitation center that helps child soldiers erase war memories and rejoin society

26:33
Society 06 April 2018 00:00

Togo: Tough to Survive. Togolese children stuck between hard labour and human trafficking

26:33
Human Rights 13 January 2017 00:00

Bride Trade. Fighting Tanzania's child bride tradition

26:33
Crime and Terrorism 30 November 2018 00:30

Hunting Boko Haram. Fed-up Nigerian Adamawa hunters take on Islamic terrorists

26:33
Society 07 November 2018 00:40

Rwanda. Women in Charge . Work, pray, love: How women are reshaping country decades after genocide

26:33
Human Rights 09 April 2014 00:00

Albino Africa. Albinos in Tanzania assaulted and maimed for the colour of their skin

26:33
Society 19 March 2012 00:00

A week with Lakota

26:33
Human Rights 31 October 2016 00:00

Stitched up in Cambodia. When having a baby means losing your job

26:33
Human Rights 21 December 2016 00:00

Happy Never After. The couples battling UK visa laws to save their families.

26:33
Human Rights 17 January 2018 00:00

Undermined. Bolivia’s child workers: Breadwinners or exploited kids

26:33
Crime and Terrorism 14 December 2019 18:00

Paraguay: The Weed of Discord. South America’s biggest weed supplier: Illegal cannabis production and the war on drugs

26:33
Crime and Terrorism 24 May 2017 00:00

Narco-song of Sinaloa. RTD explores El Chapo's Sinaloa Drug Cartel

26:33
Personalities 24 June 2019 00:42

Fisher of Men. Tunisian man gives hundreds of unknown migrants a decent burial

26:33
Society 02 October 2017 00:00

Congo: Cycle of life. Cycling club gives youth hope amid poverty & violence

VIEWER’S CHOICE: 1,000,000 VIEWS AND MORE

VIEW ALL