Homes will not be expropriated – EFF
Makhosandile Zulu
EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu says the expropriation of land without compensation will not see people being dispossessed of their homes. Among the concerns about the policy is that the economy could go on a downward spiral, similar to Zimbabwe after the farm invasions there in the early 2000s.
But Shivambu said: “The residential component is just a matter of simple conversion. We are not going to dispossess people of houses. We cannot say South Africa will be like Zimbabwe, because the processes are different. In Zimbabwe, the proposal was farm invasion, whereas we are proposing a constitutional legislated process. This is why we will engage all sectors of the economy.”
The EFF’s proposed framework was for the state to be the custodian of the land and for those who wanted to use it to apply for a lease.
In a series of tweets on the EFF’s Twitter account, Shivambu said expropriation of land would not disrupt industries or agriculture and that once expropriated, the land would belong to the state, so it could be equally distributed.
Two hundred and forty-one parliamentarians voted in favour of the EFF motion on expropriation without compensation in February. Parliament then established a public review committee to hold public hearings and receive submissions on the review of the constitution where necessary for the state to expropriate land without compensation.
Shivambu said the outcome of the constitutional review process would lead to the drafting of separate legislation on land distribution. –