Black-owned land not exempt from expropriation – Cronin

South Africa plans to expropriate land to reverse the skewed racial patterns of land ownership and accelerate the serially delayed land reform process by targeting property that belongs to black and white citizens, says Deputy Minister of Public Works Jeremy Cronin.

He added: “No one is exempt from expropriation. Black people are getting expropriated not just by the Ingonyama Trust but also by the government. We are expropriating land in the public interest to build dams or put transmission cables on land. So we cannot say black land won’t be expropriated.

“When they are expropriated there must be just and equitable compensation and that is absolutely important.”

The Ingonyama Trust administers about 2.8 million hectares of land in KwaZulu-Natal on behalf of black South Africans, represented by Zulu monarch Goodwill Zwelithini.

Cronin is against expropriation without compensation and the amendment of the property clause, as he said the constitution provided “effective mechanisms to achieve land reform”. He said expropriation without compensation should only happen where land or property is abandoned. His views are in stark contrast to those of his colleagues, most notably Zweli Mkhize, who has reportedly said property that was black-owned or controlled by traditional leaders would not be targeted under the controversial plan.

Government officials have been on a charm offensive with traditional leaders, saying the state won’t act on a recommendation to repeal/amend the Ingonyama Trust Act or dissolve the trust as recommended in 2017 by a high-level panel led by former deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe.

South Africa is weighing up the merits of amending section 25 of the constitution – known as the property clause – to expropriate land without compensation. After MPs voted in favour of a motion to begin a process to amend section 25, the matter was sent to the constitutional review committee. Public submissions to the committee closed on June 15. The committee has to report back to parliament on its findings by September 28.

Cronin has recommended the government accelerate the release of title deeds and redistribution to salvage land reform, putting the focus on increasing security of tenure.

“Millions of South Africans have insecure tenure. About 60% of South Africans do not have title deeds,” he said. “Land reform is about giving land to the poor, homeless and those without the security of tenure. Land reform and transformation is for black people, but it’s particularly for poor black people.”