Green light for land expropriation

‘A chance to bring stability to South Africa’

AFTER extensive consultations with people in every corner of the country, Parliament’s Constitutional Review Committee has concluded that the overwhelming feeling is that the Constitution should make explicit that where there is resistance, land should be expropriated without compensation.

It ushers in a new chapter in the land question which began in 1652 with the landing of Dutch coloniser Jan van Riebeeck, and continued with the Land Act of 1913 and Group Areas Act of the sixties which robbed people of colour of their land, reserving it for whites only.

It condemned blacks (Africans and coloureds) to dust bowls of poverty in homelands and townships.

President Cyril Ramaphosa assured members of the EU that there would be no land grabs in South Africa.

He told the European Parliament yesterday the process would be orderly and carried out in line with the law and the Constitution.

“There is no reason to fear there is going to be wholesale expropriation of land without compensation,” said Ramaphosa.

“For us, this is the beginning of the process to bring stability to South Africa, because as it is now, South Africa could be on the path to instability if we do not amend the Constitution,” said Ramaphosa.

He also told the SA-EU summit media briefing in Brussels, Belgium: “We affirmed our commitment as South Africa to the values of our Constitution, the rule of law and the principle of equitable and just redress.”

This as gloves were off between the ANC and some opposition parties over the report to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation.

The ANC commended the Constitutional Review Committee for doing a “sterling job” in approving the report, said spokesperson Pule Mabe.

He said this would bring dignity to South Africans who were dispossessed of their land.

The DA, Cope, Freedom Front Plus and African Christian Democratic Party repeated their threats that they would take the report on judicial review.

They did not indicate when they would go to court.

The committee adopted the report, with the ANC and EFF supporting it, while the DA, ACDP, Cope, FF Plus opposed it.

Co-chairperson of the committee Stan Maila said: “This work will be referred to both Houses.

‘‘On the issue of judicial (review), from our side we did everything by the book and the process undertaken was fair.”

The EFF presented its recommendations to be included in a draft report.

Its leader, Julius Malema, read out the recommendation: “That section 25 of the Constitution must be amended to make explicit that which is implicit in the Constitution with regard to the expropriation of land without compensation as a legitimate option for land reform so as to address the historic wrongs caused by the arbitrary dispossession of land, and in so doing ensure equitable access to land and further empower the majority of South Africans to be productive participants in ownership, food security and agricultural reform programmes.”

The proposed recommendation was supported by the ANC and National Freedom Party, and when a vote was called it passed with 12 votes to four.

A counter-proposal on final recommendations by the DA was dismissed by the same vote margin.

AgriSA executive director Omri van Zyl was adamant that land expropriation without compensation would hamper the economy and property rights.

The committee’s report will now be tabled in the National Assembly for debate.