May backs legal land reform
BILATERAL: ON ASSURANCES THAT IT WON’T BE A ‘SMASH AND GRAB’
Announcing plans to increase UK-SA trade following Brexit.
After many analysts expected British Prime Minister Theresa May to ignore the issue of land expropriation entirely, she was evidently unable to do so after being confronted directly on the issue by an SABC journalist.
She responded that she did indeed back President Cyril Ramaphosa on the land issue after he assured her in a meeting that the ANC’s policy on land expropriation without compensation won’t result in a “smash and grab”.
May added that her government has supported land reform for some time, as long as it’s “legal”.
This appears to echo Ramaphosa’s sentiments. He seems to be walking a difficult tightrope between keeping potential voters who support expropriation without compensation happy, and trying not to scare potential investors after pledging to get the economy back on track.
In March, he said: “We are going to return the land to our people so they can have their birthright,” but added that this must be done “within the confines of the law”.
“To those who still hold land, we are passing on a very powerful message from the Freedom Charter. The land must be shared by all the people of our country,” said Ramaphosa. “We are not going to steal and grab land,” he added. “We are going to want to put the land to best use so our people can regain their wealth.”
The land issue is likely a difficult one for May to discuss at a time when she is looking to strengthen ties with South Africa and Africa in general as the UK moves closer towards Brexit. She has committed to increasing investment in South Africa.
In their official statements on the visit, May and Ramaphosa said they had agreed to strengthen economic partnerships.
May kicked off her three-country tour of Africa with a bilateral meeting with Ramaphosa in Cape Town yesterday.
She said: “The UK is one of South Africa’s largest trading partners with trade of over £9 billion (R164 billion) last year and we’ve agreed that as the UK prepares to leave the EU we must then think about how to grow that trade for the future.”
May reiterated her ambition for the UK to become Africa’s biggest G7 investor by 2022, starting with negotiations to conclude an economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), its member states and Mozambique, once the EU-SADC EPA no longer applies to the UK.
Ramaphosa said the two countries had recommitted to forging close partnerships, especially on the economic front.
“We also confirmed our wish that the negotiations on the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union are concluded in a manner that restores stability to economic and financial markets,” said Ramaphosa.
Like May, he noted progress on a future trade agreement between the UK and the SACU countries. “We are encouraged at the signing today of the Joint Statement on the UK, SACU and Mozambique Economic Partnership Agreement, which significantly advances these engagements.” – Additional reporting by ANA