Land issue back in court

An application by AfriForum to interdict the national legislature from adopting a report recommending the constitution be amended to explicitly provide for land expropriation without compensation would be heard in the high court on Thursday, Parliament said yesterday.

In a statement, parliament said Judge Gayaat Salie-Hlophe made an announcement yesterday morning that a full bench of the court would hear the case to have the report by the Constitutional Review Committee set aside.

“Last week, parliament filed an answering affidavit to AfriForum’s application in which it asked the court to dismiss or strike AfriForum’s application from the court roll with punitive costs,” the statement said.

“Parliament believes the application is ill-advised, abusive to the court processes, premature and is intended to gag both parliament and thousands of South Africans who expressed their views through the public participation process.”

The report recommending for the inclusion of a provision explicitly providing for expropriation without compensation is supported by the ANC, the Economic Freedom Fighters and National Freedom Party.

The bill was opposed by other opposition parties, including the Democratic Alliance, Freedom Front Plus and the Congress of the People. – ANA