Ministry of Rural Development and Land Reform (South Africa)

The Ministry of Rural Development and Land Reform was created in 2009, in line with the governing party's Polokwane conference resolutions. For the first time in its history, the country would have a ministry dedicated to the social and economic development of rural South Africa. This ministry would be committed to ensuring that South Africans who reside in rural areas enjoyed the same benefits as their urban, so that that they too were covered by the blanket of human rights and basic dignity guaranteed in our Constitution.

Following its establishment, the new ministry immediately embarked on an intensive process to define and conceptualise what rural development should be, and to provide a framework of how it should be implemented. Government’s plan for developing rural areas, the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP), is aimed specifically at curing the blight of poverty by the creation of vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities.

To achieve its vision, the new department defined its role and mission as being that of facilitating integrated development and social cohesion through partnerships with all sectors of society. The most important strategy the department pursues to deliver on the CRDP’s strategic objectives is, Agrarian Transformation.