Ruling party agreed constitution must allow land seizures.
“The return of land to who those work it is fundamental to the transformation of our society and is critical if we are to improve the lives of poor people in our country,” Ramaphosa told lawmakers in Cape Town on Wednesday. “We must work with urgency. This matter has been placed firmly on the national agenda.”
Ramaphosa’s comments come almost two months after the ruling African National Congress agreed to change the constitution to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation, a move the main opposition Democratic Alliance and farmers’ groups say will deter investment. On Feb. 27, lawmakers agreed to the principle of land seizures and told parliament’s Constitutional Review Committee to propose legal changes needed to facilitate the process.
Under the rule of European colonists, South Africa’s Natives Land Act of 1913 stripped most black people of their right to own property, a policy reinforced decades later by the National Party and its system of apartheid.
A land audit released by the government in February showed that farms and agricultural holdings comprise 97% of the 121.9 million hectares (301 million acres) of the nation’s area. Whites own 72% of the 37 million hectares held by individuals, more than two decades after the end of apartheid.
The government will make changes in land policy in a responsible manner after consultation and will follow the law, while land invasions won’t be tolerated “because that is anarchy,” Ramaphosa said.
-Bloomberg/ Moneyweb
