The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Tshwane Mayor, Solly Msimanga – who is also the party’s candidate for Gauteng Premier ahead of the 2019 elections – says the DA supports private property ownership and the orderly allocation of land following a land audit.
This comes as the African National Congress (ANC) pushes ahead with its support of land expropriation without compensation.
Parliament’s Constitutional Review Committee is finalising its report on the possible amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for expropriation of land without compensation. This follows public hearings across the country.
Msimanga says ordinary people, and not the state, should own land.
“We believe that there should be ownership of land on individual right. It cannot be now that you are talking about the state owning land. All you are saying is that you are now paying for a bond and the land doesn’t belong to you, what happens when the time of the bond finishes? So you are still not owning that and cannot now use that as collateral should you want to go and raise capital. We are saying that is not the best of ways we should be embarking on,” says Msimanga
He says in Tshwane, they are doing things differently.
“We, as the city of Tshwane, have started a programme where we are allocating stands. You own the land in your own right, so there is no uncertainty there. Let’s start with available land. Let’s go an audit on land – which land we want to use for residential, which land we want to use for business, then you are able to plan your way,” says Msimanga.
The path that we are currently on as a province is the wrong one. We have taken a wrong turn from the path laid out by the father of our nation, Nelson Mandela. #MsimangaForPremier pic.twitter.com/UAmbKKweJ1
— #MsimangaForPremier (@SollyMsimanga) August 19, 2018
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