§ Sir L. Plummerasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the number of African farmers in Northern Rhodesia who have applied for freehold titles to their leasehold farms; under what conditions such applications can be made; and what is the number of African farmers qualified to appeal for an option to obtain title in fee simple to the land.
§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd,pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 16th July, 1957; Vol. 573, c. 96], supplied the following further information:
The first part of the Question does not arise as no Africans at present hold registered title to agricultural land—though they have done so in the past. Lessees of Crown Land may apply for freehold title, irrespective of race, provided they possess the necessary farming experience and sufficient capital to develop the land. At present, no African 282W farmers are known to possess these qualifications.
The question of individual land tenure for Africans, other than land tenure through customary native law, is under examination by the Northern Rhodesia Government.