Critics of Jordaan’s proposal say traditional leaders still influence rural votes, and issuing title deeds could reduce their control. Picture: AdobeStock Heavyweight venture capitalist and ex-banker Michael Jordaan likes to share his views on X, starting 2026 with a post on the controversial issue that government must give legal title to people staying on communal land. 17 million people or a third of our population live on these communal lands.
Giving title deeds would turn poor rural dwellers into property owners,” he says in his post, which links to a longer discourse published on the website of his investment firm, Montegray Capital. “There is one major initiative that would move the earth: giving legal title to many millions of families who are living freely and openly on land that notionally does not belong to them. “Allocating title deeds to these subsistence farmers would turn impoverished rural dwellers into property owners.
Newly titled farmland could be leveraged for development loans or eventually even sold,” he adds. “Either way, this would unlock and unleash massive capital for growth. In one fell swoop, a third of our citizens would build wealth through property appreciation while having stability and control over their livelihoods.
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“The individuals affected could also become landowners themselves. Or they could receive a monetary incentive to relinquish control. “The prize of creating 13 million new landowners would be worth the price,” he says.
Jordaan recognises that land reform is both a crucial economic and political issue, and that a large part of the black population was removed from their land and confined to homelands during apartheid. “Barring black South Africans from land ownership in large parts of the country resulted in exclusion from economic opportunities,” he says. “Land is important for livelihoods and food security. It holds deep symbolic meaning as an acute loss during apartheid, but also as hope for a more inclusive and fair future.”
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