Government’s failures to blame for the current land issue

THE current “land issue” (ie the expropriation of land without compensation) must, without doubt, be the biggest challenge that post-apartheid South Africa has had to deal with.

I must confess that not since the assassination of Chris Hani (in April 1993) have I felt so concerned about South Africa’s future.

I sense that South Africa is again teetering on the edge of the proverbial precipice – just as it did in April 1993.

Our president has an incredibly difficult job to do because handled incorrectly, the land issue has the potential to cause unprecedented violence, perhaps even a full-scale civil war – and heaven help us were that to happen, because it would certainly be the “mother of all civil wars”.

Before continuing, I must add that we still do not know exactly how the government will implement its “expropriation of land without compensation” policy – in the absence of any clear direction on this, my comments in this letter assumes the worst (and basic) scenario. For example, giving notice to a farmer that he must vacate his farm because the government is acquiring it and he will not be paid any compensation for this.

Anyway, back to the subjectmatter of this letter: why has the principle of land expropriation without compensation only become a big issue now (in the last year or so)?

Bear in mind that it has been 24 years since we had our first democratic elections, and for virtually all of that period there has been no real mention of expropriating land without compensation, at least not as far as being formal ANC policy. So why now?

It’s obvious to me that the trigger has been that the masses haven’t received what they expected what the “New South Africa” would bring them – jobs, wealth and happiness!

And it;s also obvious to me that the blame for the country’s failure to realise these (perhaps overinflated) expectations must lie at the feet of our government – who else?

Over its 24 years in power, the government has failed to grow the country’s economy at the rate that was needed, and consequently, unemployment and poverty have increased over this period.

With regard to the masses’ expectations specifically regarding land, the government has, over the years since 1994, allocated woefully small amounts to this, for instance, to purchase land subject to valid land claims.

At the rate that government was allocating these funds, for this purpose, it was going to take many lifetimes to settle all these claims!

As far as increasing levels of poverty is concerned, we know that SA’S Gini index (which measures the size of the gap between a nation’s rich and poor) has risen from 59.3 in 1993 to 63 in 2014 (the higher the index, the wider the gap). In other words, the wealth gap has widened under our ANC government (index figures ex the World Bank).

And so it has come to pass that the failure by the government to adequately grow the South African economy has led to an increase in the “wealth gap” and to eyes being cast towards SA’S “haves” – mainly whites – and the land they own.

Of course, South Africa’s “haves” now also includes a large and increasing number of blacks, given the meteoric rise of the black middle class, and the “leg-up” that BEE has given black entrepreneurs and managers.

It’s therefore tragic that the focus now appears to be on redistributing assets of the country’s “haves” to the country’s “have-nots” and not to economic growth.

One could say that the years between 1994 and 2017 were squandered, and the unfulfilled expectations of the masses have become so pressing that taking land from its wealthier citizens has now had to become formal policy of the ANC (prompted, of course, by the EFF).

Expropriating land without compensation is patently a highrisk/very dangerous route to follow and is simply “suicidal” when it comes to attracting foreign direct investment into the country.

One doesn’t need to be a

“brain surgeon” to realise that a government that can go along with the expropriation of its citizens’ land without compensation can very easily be tempted/pressured into extending that type of behaviour/thinking to other assets, like appropriating shares in companies (à la Robert Mugabe’s “indigenisation policy” of seizing 51% of the shares in foreignowned companies operating in Zimbabwe).

It’s clear to me that our political leaders need to bone up on some history (very quickly) and be reminded of George Santayana’s very wise words: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

ROBIN MUN-GAVIN

Berea