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Johannesburg - Over three-quarters of South African land is in private hands, The Times newspaper reported on Friday.
The land audit, conducted by the office of surveyor general Mmuso Riba, indicated the state held a minimum 14% of land while 79% was owned by citizens, trusts and private companies.
The remaining 7%, mainly in the Transkei in the Eastern Cape, was unregistered or unrecorded in the deeds office, according to the report.
The results of the audit were approved by cabinet on Wednesday after being commissioned last year.
However, the audit did not show foreign land ownership nor provide a racial breakdown of land ownership.
Riba said foreign ownership could not be determined due to the home affairs department's limited database, while the database no longer classified people in racial groups.
However, it was important to know how much land was owned by black people, white people and companies, he said.
The audit also failed to attach any monetary value to the land, whether owned by the state or private individuals.
