This paper questions the view that tenure - defined by the breadth, duration and assurance of property rights to arable land - is secure in the communal areas of KwaZulu-Natal. It also questions the view that new technology induces a predictable shift in tenure institutions, resulting in more exclusive property rights to land. Data collected in the Upper Tugela region and irrigation scheme at Tugela Ferry suggests that households do not have secure tenure and that technical change had not induced a shift toward more exclusive land rights. Consequently, emerging farmers have little incentive to farm in communal areas.