User Rating: 5 / 5
The history spans several centuries, beginning with Dutch colonisation in the mid-17th century. It intensified under British rule from the late 18th century. Early colonial policies were inconsistent, but gradually evolved into more systematic land grabs and labour regulations.
User Rating: 5 / 5
South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy was split in two after the 2024 general elections: Electricity and Energy and Mineral and Petroleum Resources. Part of the reason was to prevent conflicts of interest. Before the 2024 elections, the transition to renewable energy was at odds with the development of the minerals sector, including fossil fuels like coal.
User Rating: 5 / 5
South Africa’s agricultural sector has more than doubled in value and volume terms since 1994. This success has been linked to international trade. Exports now account for roughly half (in value terms) of the annual agricultural production.
User Rating: 5 / 5
Africa’s major agricultural imports largely consist of products for which the continent lacks a revealed comparative advantage (RCA), with notable exceptions being sugars and sugar confectionery and tobacco substitutes.
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The government has bought nearly four million hectares of farmland and spent at least R58-billion to compensate or restore ownership to black communities dispossessed of their ancestral property during colonisation.
User Rating: 5 / 5
New research into rural small-scale farms in South Africa’s North West province has found that climate-smart farming techniques lead to a better maize yield, a more regular supply of food for the farmers, and a wider variety of crops.
