Section 25 committee named

THE National Assembly has announced the names of MPs who will serve on the ad hoc committee to amend Section 25 of the Constitution to allow expropriation of land without compensation.

Yesterday, Speaker Baleka Mbete published the names of members in Parliament’s internal ATC (Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports) almost two months after the National Assembly agreed to establish the committee.

The committee is expected to report on its work of initiating and introducing the necessary amendment by March 31.

But there are already indications that the committee will not meet the deadline amid the campaigning by parties for elections to be held in May, because Parliament will finalise its business on March 20.

The ANC has nominated deputy chairperson of committees Thoko Didiza; former joint co-chairperson of constitutional review committee Vincent Smith and Stanford Maila; Phumzile “PJ” Mnguni; Letta Maseko and Rosina Maseko. They will serve as the party’s voting members on the committee.

The DA has fielded Annelie Lotriet and Thandeka Mbabama as their voting members, while Glynnis Breytenbach and Leon Magwebu will be non-voting members.

The EFF has sent its bigwigs to serve on the committee. Julius Malema is a voting member, while his deputy Floyd Shivambu is a non-voting member.

Other parties will be represented by the IFP’s Mzamo Buthelezi and Russel Cebekhulu.

The committee originates from a resolution taken by the assembly to set up a constitutional review committee to investigate whether land could be expropriated without compensation.

The committee recommended the review of Section 25 after holding nationwide public hearings in all nine provinces and in Parliament. Its report was adopted in December with 183 MPs voting in favour, and 77 against.

The report was backed by the ANC, the EFF, the United Democratic Movement, the National Freedom Party, African Independent Congress and African People’s Convention, which supported the motion.