Professor Lungisile Ntsebeza

It's an issue that has the potential to tear a country apart – the land question is an explosive and little understood one. Now, a new Research Chair at UCT – The Land Reform and Democracy in South Africa: State and Civil Society Dynamics Research Chair – is seeking to devise new answers to old problems. Headed up by sociology professor Lungisile Ntsebeza, the Chair puts the spotlight on the land question and seeks to deepen debate around democracy, equity and agency.

The Chair supports a vibrant research programme with a range of opportunities to students. Among its current research themes is a focus on the future of the former Bantustans, with particular reference to the meaning of democracy for people living under the jurisdiction of chiefs of various ranks, and for women's rights to land.

Researchers are also looking at the role of land reform in addressing the challenges of equity and poverty in South Africa and social movements in the land sector.