The Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)

𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗔𝗦 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗻𝘀

Through 30 years of our work, PLAAS has learnt that African citizens want the same thing: a safe piece of land with their families to call home, and no one is threatening to take it away from them. The rise of vigilantism, hate-speech, violence, human rights violations, terror, and other unlawful behaviour in South Africa against African citizens is a shameful blight on the leadership of our country and society. Afrophobic and xenophobic threats, intimidation, violence, and inhumane behaviour towards African migrants is in profound contradiction to the values we hold at PLAAS. PLAAS rejects all forms of hatred towards people. Our institute remains a safe space for all who work and study here, regardless of nationality.

A unilateral ultimatum has been issued by vigilante groups for migrants to leave South Africa, with protestors charging on migrants with illegal threats to loot their shops, assaults, vigilantism, and other forms of unlawful behaviour, marking clearly the race and class distinction some members of the public have drawn. Desperate South Africans are intimidating countless thousands, even millions, of people escaping injustice where they were born, forcing them to run for their lives.

Much has been said and written to make sense of how and why some groups using hate-filled language have manipulated legitimate grievances by working-class South Africans – chronic joblessness, failed service delivery, crime and gangsterism, homelessness and landlessness, corruption, and economic stagnation – and laid them at the door of some of the most vulnerable people in our society: African migrants. Fearful movements use Afrophobia to misdirect people’s anger with failed systems and scapegoat migrants for deep-seated socioeconomic crises.

We understand this anger all too well. For over three decades, PLAAS’s research has underscored the severity of poverty, landlessness, and failed policies that poor and working-class people have been forced to live with. By remaining unaccountable for these failures, political, public, and corporate leadership have allowed vigilante groups to threaten our democracy.

As a community dedicated to the struggle for social justice, land rights, and livelihoods, we at PLAAS understand that this is a regional and universal struggle. The histories of conquest, dispossession, colonialism, and neoliberalism have shaped our realities, conflicts, and the many drivers of human mobility across the continent. The fight for justice and dignity is a universal one, internationalism and African solidarity must remain a core principle we defend as a foundation of our democracy. We commend members of the public who have stood up to and rejected Afrophobic responses to legitimate governance issues.

We stand with all African citizens, the poor, and working-class people struggling peacefully for livelihoods and a dignified life in South Africa.

PLAAS stands in solidarity with African citizens | Plaas Through 30 years of our work, PLAAS has learnt that African citizens want the same thing: a safe piece of land with their families to call home, and no one is threatening to take it away from them. The rise of vigilantism, hate-speech, violence, human rights violations, terror, and other unlawful be...

How is bridging the urban and rural divide key to a stronger democracy in Southern Africa? 🤔

In his latest article, Boa Monjane explains that the fragmentation between urban and rural communities only further entrenches ‘erratic democracy’ in , where elections are held, but social justice lags.

He points to case studies, such as the ProSavana movement in Mozambique, which was successful because rural peasants teamed up with urban professionals and lawyers to prevent a massive land-grab project. ✊🏾

He recommends that for democracy to benefit all, it must bridge the spatial divide between urban and rural communities first.

Read here:

Bridging divides against erratic democratic trajectories: the politics of rural and urban social movements in Southern Africa This article examines the complex relationship between social and popular movements in Southern Africa across sectors and geographies amid erratic democracy. It analyzes how these sectorial and geo...

This 🌊, we're highlighting research that puts small-scale fishers at the center of conversations about ocean governance.

This new paper 📊 explores what causes conflict for small-scale fishers while they’re trying to eke out a living and maps out the different forms of conflict that artisanal fishers face across the Global South.

The research found more than 1,000 conflicts over the study period, most of which were verbal disagreements. But because they’re non-violent, it draws less attention, yet they define how the ocean is used, managed, and who benefits from it.

Using 10 years of data across 34 African countries, PLAAS Professors Mafa Hara and Moenieba Isaacs, alongside other researchers, help understand and map out what fair interventions for small-scale fishers could look like.

Read this blog in The Conversation Africa to learn more about what this means, including for South Africa’s blue economy. 🎣 🌍

Disputes over Africa’s ocean resources: here’s what could help avoid them As ocean uses expand, it will be necessary to reduce disputes because they disrupt the environmental sustainability and equity central to a blue economy.

What can South Africa learn from Colombia’s land reform programmes? PLAAS researcher Nkanyiso Gumede shares insights in this Food For Mzansi article.

A key lesson he shares is the subdivision of farmland for mixed farming, where families retain autonomy over their own production, while participating in collective commercial production, allowing them to compete better with corporations. We saw this happen on a certain farm during our time at the conference in Cartagena.

This is one of four insights he shares. To learn more, visit:

Four lessons from Colombia to fix South Africa’s land reform Examine the challenges of land reform in South Africa and the role of international lessons in addressing land inequality.

Join us and the DSTI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS) at the The University of the Western Cape for a public lecture by Cuba Ambassador to South Africa, HE Fakri Rodríguez Pinelo. Through his lecture titled “The current situation in Cuba, and bilateral relations between Cuba and South Africa”, Ambassador HE Rodríguez will reflect on the current social, economic and political context in Cuba and the country's longstanding relationship with South Africa.

🗓️ Wednesday, 20 May 2026
🕜 13h30 – 16h00
📍Library Auditorium, University of the Western Cape, Bellville Campus
RSVP is essential: https://shorturl.at/hrLut

Students! Solidarity in 2026 has a different look. This is critical conversation tomorrow will delve into what that means for Norway - a key supporter during apartheid and in a context that no longer exists. What is the call for solidarity today?

Join us on campus The University of the Western Cape tomorrow to ask the questions and enjoy a light lunch with us. The speaker line-up is 🔥

Colloquium - Solidarity then and now: African and Norwegian perspectives on scholarly collaboration and social justice amid geopolitical change | Plaas Colloquium invitation Solidarity then and now: African and Norwegian perspectives on scholarly collaboration and social justice amid geopolitical change Thursday, 7 May 2026 12:00 to 13:30 (SAST) University of the Western Cape, Bellville Campus Library Auditorium / livestream Lunch will be served af...

Can solidarity from a moment in history be reimagined for the present geopolitical moment?

Join us for our colloquium on Solidarity then and Now, with a panel of experts from Africa and Norway at The University of the Western Cape. Lunch will be served after the event.

🗓️ Thursday, 7 May 2026
🕛 12:00 to 13:30 (SAST)
📍 University of the Western Cape, Bellville Campus
Library Auditorium / livestream (livestream link will be shared with confirmed RSVPs)
🥙 Lunch will be served after the event
✅ RSVP is necessary (in the link)

Over a long time, partnerships between academic institutions in Norway and across Africa have centred on democracy, governance, and social justice, and increasingly climate justice.

To what extent is this a form of solidarity, and how have partnerships advanced scholarship for social justice and the public good in both countries? What does, and what should, solidarity mean now?

Panel discussion:
A facilitated panel discussion with leading African and Norwegian scholars:

Professor Tor Halvorsen, University of Bergen
Professor Lyn Ossome, Makerere University News
Professor Moenieba Isaacs, PLAAS, The University of the Western Cape
Professor Poul Wisborg, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Mr Siphesihle Mbhele, PLAAS, The University of the Western Cape
Professor James Murombedzi, former head, African Climate Policy Centre, UNECA
Chair: Professor Ruth Hall, The University of the Western Cape

Colloquium - Solidarity then and now: African and Norwegian perspectives on scholarly collaboration and social justice amid geopolitical change | Plaas Colloquium invitation Solidarity then and now: African and Norwegian perspectives on scholarly collaboration and social justice amid geopolitical change Thursday, 7 May 2026 12:00 to 13:30 (SAST) University of the Western Cape, Bellville Campus Library Auditorium / livestream Lunch will be served af...

📢 Happening tomorrow! We hope to see you there!
🗓️ Tuesday, 14 April 2026
🕥 10:30 – 12:30
📍 Edith Stephens Nature Reserve - Govan Mbeki Road, Philippi, Cape Town
✅ RSVP https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe8GmDhFcGXunnS4QjC0P74Vm9d-jYrzw-jWuVi6DNh0l5BtQ/viewform

New report launch: Urban conservation from the perspective of justice in Cape Town | Plaas Urban nature as commons: The case of Cape Town, South Africa Tuesday, 14 April 2026 10:30 – 12:30 Edith Stephens Nature Reserve Govan Mbeki Road, Philippi, Cape Town Location RSVP by 10 April 2026 ‘How do working class urban communities see nature conservation, and how can it be pursued to meet ...