Applications have officially opened for farmers who wish to lay their hands on one of the 896 underutilized or vacant state farms that are now being released for agricultural purposes.
The farms measure about 700 000 hectares and is available in all provinces except the Western Cape and Gauteng. Thoko Didiza, the minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development, says these farms are released as part of government’s land reform programme.
On offer is a 30-year leasehold with an option to buy to all successful applicants. This form of leasehold, acknowledges Didiza, places certain obligations on the state as the landlord while the beneficiaries will have to manage, maintain and grow the assets that they are receiving from government.
STATE LAND: Click here for the official application form
Are you eligible to receive land?
To be eligible, potential lessees must meet the following criteria:
- Applicants must be from previously disadvantaged South Africans, namely: Africans, Indians, Coloureds, and South African Chinese, who are South African citizens. The African in this context includes persons from the first nations of South Africa;
- Natural and juristic persons who fits the description above, of Blacks who were previously disadvantaged;
- Applicants must be 18 years or older and in possession of a valid South African bar-coded identity document;
- Priority within the target groups shall be given to women, youth and persons with disabilities;
- Other categories such as unemployed military veterans (as defined in the Military Veterans Act, 2011), farm workers, dwellers, labour tenants, unemployed agricultural graduates and NARYSEC participants, shall qualify to apply;
- All public servants currently serving (national, provincial, local spheres of government and state-owned enterprises) are not allowed to apply;
- All former public servants who have successfully completed their 24 months cooling period (after leaving the public service);
- Former public office bearers who have successfully completed their 12 months cooling period (after leaving public office);
- The successful applicant must be willing to stay full-time on the farm for the duration of the lease contract; and
- Traditional leaders who are recognised under any legislation in the country shall qualify, provided they disclose their status and remuneration by the State and have proven that they are involved in farming activities at various scales. The Minister shall make a final determination in this regard.
STATE LAND: Click here for the official application form
Mandatory documents
- Fully completed application form, including correct contact details;
- In the case of a natural person: certified copy of the applicant’s barcoded South African ID;
- In the case of a juristic person: Unabridged legal entity registration certificate, certified copies of all members’ SA IDs, and a resolution appointing the representative;
- Recent tax certificate confirming that the applicant/legal entity is registered with SARS as a taxpayer (except where the applicant or legal entity is excluded in terms of SARS requirements); and
- In case of livestock, branding, Tuberculosis (TB), Brucellosis and Contagious Abortion (CA) Certificates must be attached.
Follow these steps to apply
- Online applications: Click here for the official application form as made available by the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development. To process your application electronically, visit www.dalrrd.gov.za and register via the following link https://ALA.drdlr.gov.za.
- Manual applications: Forms can be collected from any provincial or district offices of the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development. However, the submission of completed application forms must be directed to the specific district office(s) where the farm(s) is located or via the email address provided in the provincial/district advert no later than 16:00 on the closing date as reflected in this advert.
- How can I view the farms? Detailed lists of farms/properties will be available on various platforms, which include the department’s website, the various provincial and/or district offices of the department, as well as in the local print media where these are located.
- Who can I contact for more info? Click here for contact numbers and email addresses in all relevant provinces.
