What the 2.5 million hectares actually is
The 2.5 million hectares President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is releasing to black farmers is land the state already owns. It was bought over two decades under the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy and has largely been leased to farmers on short-term contracts. What his weekly letter on Monday promises is a change in ownership, converting those leases into title deeds.
Ramaphosa wrote that government is “releasing approximately 2.5 million hectares of state-owned land” to black farmers in various parts of the country, with title deeds. The land is not being taken from anyone, and the announcement does not add new hectares to the state’s holdings.
The letter, published on 12 October, frames the release as a way to widen commercial farming. Ramaphosa described South Africa as a country of two agricultures, with mainly white-owned commercial farms producing most output and black farmers accounting for about 10%, a figure he attributed to a source.
He argued that relying on a relatively small part of the population to feed a growing country is unsustainable.
The 2.5 million hectares pledge, repeated
This is at least the fourth time since 2024 that Ramaphosa has publicly committed to transferring state land.
| Date | Occasion | What Ramaphosa said |
|---|---|---|
| 18 July 2024 | Opening of Parliament Address | Government would prioritise the transfer of state land |
| 20 March 2026 | Title deeds handover, Umzimkhulu | The state had acquired over two million hectares under the programme and was making a concerted effort to transfer it with title deeds |
| 2 June 2026 | Presidency budget vote | About 2.5 million hectares, mostly on short-term leases, would be released with title deeds, and the land reform minister would outline the conversion programme |
| 12 October 2026 | Weekly letter | Government is releasing about 2.5 million hectares to black farmers with title deeds |
In June he set out the problem the conversion is meant to fix. Short-term leases, he said, limit farmers’ ability to borrow money, invest in the land and grow production.
The work began before that. Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso told Parliament in 2024 that converting qualifying leases on state land into freehold title had started under the previous administration.
What changes for farmers on state land
A title deed lets a farmer use land as security for a loan, which a short-term lease generally does not. Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber, has written that the lack of title deeds is the main constraint on inclusive growth in agriculture.
Ramaphosa’s letter pairs the land with finance and skills. He pointed to a blended finance instrument run by the Land Bank and the Department of Agriculture, which commercial banks have joined, and to mentorship programmes run by commodity bodies including Grain SA, the Citrus Growers’ Association and Red Meat Industry Services.
Recent public handovers have been small. In February, 58 title deeds were handed over in Bethlehem, including to farm dwellers, and a May ceremony in North West included 20 title deeds under the state land transfer programme.
At the Bethlehem handover, Nyhontso called delays in processing land applications “not just an administrative failure but an economic crime”, TimesLIVE reported.
Why this is not expropriation
Land acquired under the strategy was bought by the state, so transferring it to the farmers who lease it involves no expropriation. The release is separate from the Expropriation Act, which has drawn criticism from Washington and is covered in Southafriworld’s reporting on the expropriation debate and US investment.
The distinction matters because headlines describing a plan to “give” 2.5 million hectares to one group can suggest new land is being taken. On the president’s own account, the land is already in state hands and is generally occupied by lessees.
What is still unclear about the 2.5 million hectares
Several questions remain unanswered. Southafriworld found no published programme from the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development setting out who qualifies, whether lessees will pay for the land, how many hectares have already been transferred with title, or a timeline, despite the June undertaking that the minister would outline the details.
Delivery has lagged before. A land reform agency Ramaphosa announced in 2021 had still not been established by February 2026, IOL reported.
The next concrete step is the minister’s lease-to-title programme. Until it is published, the 2.5 million hectares remains a commitment rather than a schedule.
HOW WE REPORTED THIS
- The announcement was taken from the President's weekly letter of 12 October 2026 as published on his official channels and quoted at length by several outlets.
- Earlier commitments were checked against the Presidency's published speech at the Umzimkhulu title deeds handover in March 2026 and against accounts of the 2 June 2026 Presidency budget vote and the July 2024 Opening of Parliament Address.
- The pace of recent handovers was checked against a government media advisory and reports of title deed ceremonies in February and May 2026.
- Southafriworld found no published programme from the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development setting out criteria or timelines for converting leases into title deeds.
- No comment was sought from the Presidency or the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development before publication.
