The Soutpansberg farmers association has told Parliament’s Constitutional Review Committee that Limpopo’s economy would collapse if land is expropriated without compensation.
The association’s Steven Hoffman made submissions during the public hearings in Thohoyandou.
Parliament’s Constitutional Review Committee is hearing views on the possible review of Section 25 of the Constitution.
Hoffman says the section should not be reviewed.
“The farmers in this area, including our Venda farmers employ an excess of 70 000 workers… this translates to roughly 300 000 dependants. Agriculture is the only sector that brings money into our region. Taking agricultural land from those that are managing farms as a business will be like taking the beating heart out of our economy… Limpopo’s economy without agriculture can never be sustainable,” adds Hoffman.
However, some community members have made submissions in favour of amending Section 25 – which will allow for expropriation of land without compensation.
“The price of land has been manipulated by the land owning class, intended to frustrate the land reform process. The reality is that dispossession of land took place when the dispose got the land for free,” say some of the community members.
