Spotlight on land issue at regional ANC conference

LAND expropriation without compensation took centre stage at the 7th ANC Musa Dladla Regional Conference at the University of Zululand.

Opening the conference, ANC NEC member David Masondo allayed fears that the land issue would drive away potential investors.

‘We have two options regarding this issue - one is to take the land without compensation and lease it to those who will use it effectively, or to say to land owners that if you don’t use it, you lose it.

‘This will make it easy and economical for investors to invest in our country as the government will lease the land at a cheaper price,’ he said.

Masondo’s speech comes in the wake of the recent violence linked to land grabs in the country.

District Mayor Nonhle Mkhulisi told delegates for the region to work, traditional leadership must be respected ‘as they have vested interests in ANC matters’.

‘They are waiting to see how we assist them to get their land back, as some of them have pending land claim cases with the Department of Rural Development and Land Affairs.

‘We will have to join hands in assuring them that we will protect the land under the Ingonyama Trust,’ she said.

SACP District Secretary, David Chonco, urged the ANC to speed up the process of land expropriation without compensation.

‘We need to discuss the issue of Ingonyama Trust land. We know how this act was formulated.

‘We are not undermining His Majesty the King, but let us find ways of dealing with this issue,’ he said.