‘Numbers won’t count’ in Section 25 review

● Majority of submissions so far opposed to amending constitution, but chair expects f igures to change

While a preliminary look at the 700,000 written submissions to parliament points to the majority of South Africans being opposed to changes to the constitution to allow the state to expropriate land without compensation, the review committee expects the figures to change drastically.

Parliament’s constitutional review committee co-chair Vincent Smith said he expected a 90/10 split in favour of expropriating land without compensation.

Smith said on Thursday that people should not get caught up in numbers after a preliminary report revealed that 59% of written submissions to the committee were against amending Section 25 of the constitution.

Smith said the written submissions were a completely different group of people from those who made oral submissions during the land hearings held across the country.

“The written submissions consisted of people with access to the internet, e-mail, the likes of AfriForum, and so you’d expect them to be against it.

“In the public submissions, you had farm workers, the people who don’t have land and hold a different view.

“So, you’ll probably get a 90/10 split once we’ve tallied everything. But it’s not about numbers, it’s about the strength of the argument.”

Smith said that during the 34 land hearings, of which he attended only half, 90% of the people who gave submissions were in favour of amending the constitution.

“Numbers are not the yardstick. The barometer must be why are you saying so. You must state why you support amending the constitution and also why you don’t.

“The committee has taken a decision that numbers will not play a role in influencing us at all,” Smith said.

During a committee meeting in parliament on Wednesday, Smith revealed that its service provider which reviewed submissions had already viewed 149,000 out of 700,000 written submissions.

Of that number, 89,000 people were not in favour of amending the constitution.

Smith said the service provider had been called back into parliament to give an update in the next 10 days.

During the parliamentary sitting on Wednesday, EFF leader Julius Malema questioned whether the company that provided the figures had been vetted and if did not have any ulterior motives.

“They don’t put the numbers of the public hearings because they don’t favour their narrative. There are no neutral people in this country, particularly on this issue,” Malema said.

While responding to questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa rejected the proposal the government should be the sole owner of all land in the country and said he did not believe ordinary citizens should not have title deeds to their properties.

Malema, at a media briefing in Johannesburg on Thursday, said those who supported expropriation of land without compensation were ready to die for what they believed in.

“Death is a price we’re prepared to pay. The second price is poverty because they will close the taps. We won’t be distracted by anyone,” he said.