Request to name 139 earmarked farms rebuffed

Land expropriation without compensation will be handled confidentially between individual land owners affected and government, according to rural development and land reform ministry head Mashile Mokono.

Yesterday, Mokono could not confirm the claim that the Afri- kaner lobby group, Sakeliga, has served the rural development and land reform department with an application requesting a list of 139 farms earmarked for expropriation without compensation.

Sakeliga law and policy analyst Armand Greyling said his organisation had served an application requesting the department to provide the names of the farms.

But Mokono said this was “unlikely to happen.

“Until the affected land owner has been served with expropriation notices, what they are asking for is unlikely to happen. We will deal confidentially with people on an individual basis and not as a group, it’s a matter which cannot be made public,” said Mokono.

Asked to clarify the criteria for expropriation without compensation, ANC national executive com- mittee head of economics Enoch Godongwana responded: “The criteria is currently under discussion because this is not yet a conclusive debate.

“It would be useful if the ANC NEC could discuss this broadly and take a firm position when it meets in September.”

Last week, the ANC resolved to select 139 farms to expropriate without compensation.