Our work...

Phuhlisani is a lean non-profit company with four directors, one member of staff and a network of local and international associates.  We summarise our work over the last three years below. 

2015 - 2020

Decent work in agriculture

Farm workers have historically been one of the most marginalised and vulnerable worker groups in South Africa. As a whole the agriculture sector in South Africa contracted significantly following deregulation in the 1990s. Subsequent agricultural policies which stripped away state subsidies and support as part of a voluntary structural adjustment programme had the effect of intensifying concentration throughout the industry while undermining the potential for the emergence of a small holder producers. These policies and process have impacted on the nature of work in the sector with the result that many agricultural workers lost permanent jobs to become seasonal or casual labourers who now live off-farm.   
In the past two years our work in this sector has included: 

• Research and strategy development  for improved farm worker housing, access to services and tenure security in the Cape Winelands District. 
• Research for Laborie Initiative which brings together employer bodies and unions in search of improved conditions in the fruit and wine sectors.
• Social Dialogue for Decent Work in Agriculture in association with Ethical Trade Institute and the Labour and Enterprise Research Group at UCT.​

Transforming land governance 

Phuhlisani has undertaken extensive work for the Land Rights Management Facility. Over the past two years we have provided support to resolve land rights management issues in rural and urban settings. This work has included clarification of land rights in former 'coloured reserves' where rights are regulated in terms of the Transformation of Certain Rural Areas Act (TRANCRAA) including Ebenhaeser and Slangriver. We have also provided support for the settlement of the complex Ebenhaeser Restitution Claim and the revitalisation of the Communal Property Association established by the ‡Khomani San. 
Phuhlisani is a member of the Land Network national Engagement Strategy (LANDNNES). This network brings together different CSO's and individual tenure specialists working in the rural and urban land sectors. Network members make submissions on land, planning and tenure reform legislation.
Since 2017 Phuhlisani NPC has had a working relationship with the Land Portal . contributing a listing of organisations working in the land sector and collecting a range of open access land related resources which are now available online. 

Social movement support

Phuhlisani has provided extensive support to activists affiliated with the Alliance for Rural Democracy. This work was supported by the Bertha Foundation and involved a partnership with UCT's Land and Accountability Research Centre. 
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Initiatives in support of inclusive development

Phuhlisani is involved in the design of joint venture processes which seek to deliver tangible benefits to land reform beneficiaries and workers in the agricultural sector.
Our main work focus in this  regard is in the Matzikama Local Municipality where we are actively involved in the planning of employment-intensive land redistribution . Given that government is revising its policy frameworks for land reform and agriculture in the light of the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Panel of 2019, and developing an Agricultural Master Plan with a strong focus on employment creation, this is an opportune moment to explore in more detail the practical implications of recent research work undertaken for the Capacity Building Programme for Employment Promotion.
The purpose of the Matzikama project is to pilot the planning, institutional and capacity-building arrangements, information management, learning and support systems required for an effective area-based land redistribution which successfully transfers land and provides effective support for employment-intensive production by market-oriented small-scale farmers.
​It is anticipated that the pilot will yield important lessons for area-based planning for land and agrarian reform in general, as well as targeted transfers aimed at rural job creation. These lessons will feed into government’s renewed efforts to decentralise the planning and implementation of economic development and service provision. 

Commissioned research and evaluation

Over the last few years Phuhlisani researchers have been extensively involved in collaborative learning and research assignments. These have included:

• A range of papers commissioned by the High Level Panel (HLP) on the Assessment of Key Legislation and the Accleration of Fundamental Change on spatial inequality and tenure security on farms
• ​Contributions to round tables convened in terms of the HLP process
• Think pieces on the future of land reform
• Land reform evaluation.
• Smallholder support strategies. 
• Case studies and more.

​​​We have also been involved in evaluations/strategic reviews of:

• the SaveAct programme in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape
• programmes supported by the Ford Foundation’s Office for Southern Africa (1) Expanding Livelihoods Opportunities for Poor Households Initiative (ELOPHI) - an initiative focusing primarily on South Africa and Mozambique (2) Building Economic Security over a Lifetime (BESOL) designed to build up the long term economic stability of very poor households in both urban and rural areas with the primary goal of reducing vulnerability and building up assets. 
  
  

Consolidating our focus 2019 - 2023

Goal

A pro-poor land reform programme implemented across the rural and urban landscape, backed by policy, laws, effective institutions and repurposed land administration to advance equitable access to land, tenure and livelihood security within an integrated property rights system.
 

Situation analysis

Our situation analysis highlights how:

• The expropriation  debate diverts from examining the  causes of land reform failure.
• There is no coherent pro-poor land reform policy.
• There are inadequate budgets and institutional capacity to implement recommendations from important reviews of land reform including the Motlanthe High Level Panel and the Presidential Advisory Panel. This has a major impact on the effectiveness of the land reform programme
• There have been a number of ad hoc approaches to land reform planning and implementation resulting in poor returns on public expenditure.
• Land administration has failed to recognise and protect off-register rights. The land rights of 60% of South Africans remain off-register and increasingly vulnerable to capture.

Our programme interventions seek to:

• Refocus the land reform debate and make available reliable information through our new comprehensive website knowledgebase.land​​
• Initiate district based learning laboratories and inclusive pilots to rethink and test models, promote dialogue and learning.
• Design and field test local property rights and land administration systems

Our programme outputs include;

• An expanded and dynamic knowledge base of reliable information disseminated through knowledgebase.land.
• Submissions and policy briefs advocating pro-poor rural and urban land reform.
• Conceptualisation of improved institutional models for area-based land reform implementation.
• Documented pilot case studies and linked learning programmes.
• A research and practice tested framework to advocate for an inclusive property rights and repurposed land administration system.

 

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Three linked work areas

Land rights recordal and repurposed land administration for an inclusive property rights system
It is widely recognised that land administration systems in South Africa have collapsed. Currently the land rights of some 60% of South Africans remain off register.
Work Area #1 focuses on the design and piloting  of land recordal and land administration systems which can be progressively rolled out across the land reform landscape. We seek to influence the design and development of a repurposed land administration system as the foundation for an inclusive property rights system which recognises and legally secures the rights of all. It seeks to contribute to the design of systems and spatial data infrastructure for the transparent administration of land rights.
This work area  builds on the recommendations of the High Level Panel which proposed a Land Records Act and an affordable land administration system based on the recognition of a continuum of land rights to provide secure tenure for all.
 

Area based land reform planning and implementation support
Land  reform planning  and implementation  support remains fragmented and ad hoc. In work area #2 Phuhlisani seeks support to design and test integrated area-based land reform planning and implementation support systems.
We plan to focus much of our work on Matzikama municipality.  This work area will draw on relationships developed with  communities, farm dwellers  and labour unions, civil society organisations, organised  agriculture, commodity associations  as well as local, provincial and national government officials. It seeks to develop a collaborative planning and implementation support approach and document alternative institutional models which draws on our experience of facilitating social dialogue platforms.
Our research and knowledge sharing programme (Work area #3)  will  closely document  the planning approach, and  examine cost, capacity and feasibility implications. The output will be an integrated planning  and support case study which can inform the development and scaling up of new institutional models. This will provide the basis for a linked training and learning programmes for state and non state actors.
This closely intersects with Work Area #1 which focuses on land rights recordal and land administration.

Research, knowledge sharing and collaborative learning
Phuhlisani NPC  has a dedicated focus on applied research, case study documentation and knowledge sharing which are the core of Work Area #3. 
​We are working to design, build and maintain a comprehensive website knowledgebase.land (KB.L). Our objective is to incrementally grow the site to become the premier resource for reliable research and information on all aspects of rural and urban land in South Africa.
We are also expanding our land news coverage to include countries in Southern, Central and Eastern Africa
Work Area #3 draws on the other two work streams to distil key lessons and advance collaborative learning  for improved pro-poor land reform policy and practice.