South Africa may move more quickly on the emotive issue of land
reform, said President Thabo Mbeki as he outlined this year's
government's programme.
Mr Mbeki remains popular among many South Africans
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He promised to "review" the policy of "willing-seller,
willing buyer", which could reduce the compensation received by farmers
who lose their land.
Mr Mbeki was delivering his state of the nation address at the annual opening of parliament in Cape Town.
He also noted the "mood of confidence" from recent economic growth.
He focussed on measures that the government believes will help to reduce poverty and improve public services.
The land question is an emotive one in South Africa,
where the majority of farmland remains under the ownership of white
farmers.
Until now, measures to restore land to the black
majority have been largely along market lines, but Mr Mbeki hinted this
would change.
"The minister of agriculture and land affairs will,
during 2006, review the willing-buyer willing-seller policy, review
land acquisition models and possible manipulation of land prices, and
regulate conditions under which foreigners buy land," Mr Mbeki said, to
both cheers and jeers from members of parliament.
Optimism
Mr Mbeki began his address by pointing to surveys that
indicated that South Africans in general and business owners in
particular were optimistic about the country's future.
"Our people are firmly convinced that our country has
entered its age of hope," Mr Mbeki said. He said some 372bn rand
($61bn) would be spent over the next three years to improve services
including electricity, water and telecommunications services, and to
build houses and other infrastructure.
Service delivery and housing are pressing issues for Mr Mbeki's ANC as it approaches municipal elections in March.
He spoke of efforts towards "the attainment of a society
free of shack settlements in which all our people enjoy decent housing"
and pledged to eradicate the "bucket toilet" system by the end of next
year.
Football
He added that "the government will remain focused on the
challenge to fight corruption in the public sector and in society at
large."
Mr Mbeki pointed out that after this year's football
World Cup in Germany, the world of football would be watching South
Africa, which is to host the 2010 championship, but which was
eliminated in the first round of this year's African Cup of Nations.
"I am afraid that our performance in the current African
Cup of Nations in Egypt did nothing to advertise our strengths as a
winning nation," Mr Mbeki said, to laughter from the house.
"However, starting today, the nation must make every
effort to ensure that we meet all the expectations of Fifa and the
world of soccer, so that we host the best soccer World Cup ever," the
president said. | 
