Journal of Agrarian Change, Vol. 7 No. 1, January 2007, pp. 99–120. © 2007 The Author. Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Henry Bernstein and Terence J. Byres. Blackwell Publishing, Ltd. Oxford, UK JOAC Journal of Agrarian Change 1471-0358 © The Author. Journal compilation © Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Henry Bernstein and Terence J. Byres. January 2007 7 1 Original Article The Politics of Land Reform Sarah M. Mathis The Politics of Land Reform: Tenure and Political Authority in Rural Kwazulu-Natal SARAH M. MATHIS When South Africa’s land reform programme finally reached rural Umbum- bulu, a potential for conflict over land emerged unexpectedly. Strategically located near a major urban centre, residents of this region have long relied on wages and social welfare grants. Land was valued primarily for residential security and as a symbolic representation of community membership, rather than for productive purposes. This emphasis on community member- ship, however, created the potential for conflict when a local chief challenged a civil society group over their authority to claim land. With the govern- ment’s continued hesitancy to challenge the authority of chiefs, land reform provided an opportunity for local chiefs to reinforce their position and potentially to expand the amount of land under their jurisdiction. This agenda conflicted both with the government’s interest in developing commercial agricul- ture and local residents’ desire for rural land as security in the context of high levels of unemployment. Keywords: land reform, land tenure, customary authority, KwaZulu-Natal INTRODUCTION We are here to talk about a very important and sensitive issue. Today God has brought us together that we may share our different views on the land which was taken away from us without any notice. It was very disrespectful to the amakhosi 1 what Afrikaners did to us, taking away our beautiful land and sending us to live among the cliffs and uneven land. Sarah M. Mathis, Emory University, 207 Anthropology Building, 1557 Dickey Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. e-mail: smathis@emory.edu This article is based on research funded by grants from The Wenner-Gren Foundation – Grant #7045, Fulbright-Hays’ Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program and Emory University’s Fund for Internationalization. An early version of this paper was presented at the African Studies Association 2005 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. I am grateful to all those who read and commented on earlier drafts, in particular Don Donham, Derick Fay and Dan Mains, and to Henry Bernstein for his extensive advice in revising the paper for publication. 1 Zulu term for chiefs. The singular form is inkosi and the institution of chieftaincy is ubukhosi. Chiefs and other customary leaders within South Africa are also commonly referred to as traditional authorities and the land under the jurisdiction of a single chief is usually referred to as a Traditional Authority or TA.