Examining women’s access to rural land in UMnini Trust traditional area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

This article examines land tenure reform in South Africa with a focus on women in the rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal. Using the case  study of UMnini Trust Traditional Area, it critically analyses the extent to which current land reform programmes address gender disparities – especially equal access to land and secure land rights by women. In order to provide an insight into this issue, this study used both secondary and primary data sources. The major findings emanating from this study suggest that land remains an emotive issue in rural South Africa, especially among women who are side-lined by government intervention measures. Previous policies and legislations that purposefully neglected and isolated women as beneficiaries of any developmental initiatives are still very much entrenched in contemporary society. The article concludes by recommending for redesigning as well as implementing policies and legislations that are accommodative of women’s plight as far as access to land and security of tenure is concerned.

Keywords: Rural women, land, access, exclusion, customary laws, legislations and policies, traditional leaders