Abstract
Land reform is identified as a key tool in fostering development in South Africa. With two decades after the advent of democracy in
South Africa, the land question remains a critical issue for policy makers. A number of frameworks have been put in place by the
government to identify land which is strategically located for land reform. However, many of these frameworks are not well aligned
and have hampered the government’s land reform initiative in promoting inclusive development. Strategically located land is herein
defined as land parcels that are well positioned for the promotion of agriculture, human settlements, rural and tourism development.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop a decision tool which facilitates the identification of strategically located land for
development. This study proposes the use of geographic information systems (GIS), earth observation (EO) data and multi-criteria
decision making (MCDM) to develop a spatial decision support system (SDSS) to identify strategically located land for land reform.
The SDDS was therefore designed using GIS, EO data and MCDM to create an index for identification of strategically located land.
Expert-led workshops were carried out to ascertain criteria for identifying strategically located land and the analytical hierarchy
process (AHP) was utilised used to weight the criteria. The study demonstrates that GIS and EO are invaluable tools in facilitating
evidence-based decisions for land reform. However, there is need for capacity building on GIS and EO in government departments
responsible for land reform and development planning. The study suggests that there is an urgent need to develop sector specific
criteria for the identification of strategically located land for inclusive development.