Pretoria – AfriForum says a conference on property rights has debunked the “myth of 72% white land ownership”.
At a meeting held in Pretoria today, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, AfriForum said that “various misconceptions and lies about land ownership, land reform and expropriation without compensation” were considered.
“The findings presented at this conference will form an important part of the national and international elements of AfriForum’s continued fight to protect private property rights,” AfriForum said in a statement published to The Bull Rush.
The group says various claims in South Africa's controversial and emotional debate over land are being presented as fact without proper investigation into their accuracy.
AfriForum said it presented a fact sheet during the meeting that challenged these myths about land ownership.
The meeting was attended, among others, by representatives of the American Embassy and the Dutch Embassy.
The first speaker was Ernst van Zyl, head of communications at Africa Forum, who refuted the “most common myths” about land in South Africa.
Van Zyl also said there were “major flaws” in the 2017 land audit, which is still cited in important land discussions and policy decisions.
He said the South African government had failed on land reform projects and was proposing alternative solutions.
Van Zyl said continuing to quote 2017 land audit statistics beyond 2026 was at best unintentionally misleading and at worst deeply dishonest.
“The claim that white people 'control 72% of the country' is, in its truest sense, false information.”
“Land issues remain complex and multifaceted,” Van Zyl concluded.
“In the interest of honest public debate, sound policy-making and improving race relations, Africa Forum calls for a more balanced, evidence-based and less racist debate around land and property rights in South Africa.
“Thank you to everyone who has stood with us in this important fight.”
Burgert Gildenhuis, an expert in urban planning, space, economic development and local government finance, said the government's “attempt to calculate racialized land ownership” was “flawed”.
Finally, Dr Theo de Jager, Chairman of the Southern African Agricultural Initiative (Saai), provided a farmer's perspective on the threats to private property rights in South Africa.
The three speakers participated in a panel discussion led by AfriForum's Louis Boshoff that tied together the themes of their presentations.
Since 1994, land reform in South Africa has aimed to redress apartheid-era land grabs through the three pillars of recovery, redistribution and property reform, but progress has been slow.
By 2024, less than 14% of agricultural land in South Africa will have been transferred to black South Africans, far short of the target of 30%.
Weak institutional capacity, unstable tenure, and limited post-settlement support remain major obstacles.
The government is conducting a new comprehensive land audit to provide more accurate data.
