The land of false hopes

Government's decision to once again postpone the second national land conference exposes the nation's lack of preparedness in dealing with critical issues like land reform.

The authorities had over two years to plan for a conference of this magnitude but decided to call it off indefinitely at the eleventh hour.

A conference of this magnitude does not happen overnight. It requires thorough planning and wide consultation for it to succeed.

Last year, the conference was also postponed in October to September this year much to the irritation of civil society and opposition parties who are eager to take part in the land debate.

It must be said that government has been bullish in the handling of the second national land conference after it refused to co-opt pressure groups and other land stakeholders in the planning and preparation of the conference.

The land issue affects us all and government should stop raising false expectations about land reform processes while actually doing otherwise.

As pointed out recently, there appears to be no urgency in dealing with the issue of land reform and there is clearly a lax attitude towards the subject judging from the conduct of the authorities. It cannot be business as usual when key stakeholders - including the media - are denied information on the content or subject matters to be discussed at the land conference.

It is also a slap in the face of taxpayers who will be paying for the hosting of such a conference.

There should be clear information on who exactly is invited to attend and the criteria used to invite participants.

Government alone cannot claim to address equitable access to land as a matter of urgency if it does not involve concerned stakeholders in the planning and organisation of the land conference.

The land issue is a ticking time bomb and the failure to deal with land reform effectively will have a devastating impact on food production and security in the future.