Where to draw the line: Mapping of land rights in a South African commons

In South Africa, formal titles to land have generally been restricted to ‘commercial’ farms under white ownership. However, in Namaqualand in the Northern Cape Province, mapping of individual dryland plots became part of the land reform process. In this study, we take a critical look at this mapping exercise in the communal area of Concordia. While securing the rights of individual dryland plot holders, the mapping also resulted in unintended impacts. Separate plots were joined together, enclosing the communal corridors in between, and new individual plots were created, reducing the communal grazing area. Furthermore, the mapping and surveying process has triggered an upsurge in the fencing of dryland plots. The case demonstrates that formalisation may cause changes in rights in general, and may promote privatisation of communal rights more specifically. This experience from Namaqualand can be seen as a test case for possible effects of planned surveying and registration of individual plots in other South African communal areas.