Dear Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development,

Ordinary South Africans need to access land for subsistence and commercial farming. Land appropriation without compensation should include land owned by local, provincial and national governments, traditional authorities, prolonged absentee landlords with no known intention about using the underutilized land for no apparent or justifiable reasons. Community members should be able to establish forums and NPOs in order to identify such land and access it without payment if the purpose is to benefit the community e.g. achieving food security for the previously disadvantaged and provide jobcreation opportunities for the unemployed, especially women and youths.