A National Assembly resolution allowing land expropriation without compensation will now be referred to the Constitutional Review Committee which must report back to Parliament by August 30.
The National Assembly on Tuesday passed the African National Congress’ (ANC) amendment to the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) motion for land expropriation without compensation.
The ANC’s amendment, which was accepted by the House, inserts a clause about improving food security.
The motion passed by 241 votes to 63, with the Democratic Alliance (DA), Freedom Front Plus, Cope and African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) opposing it.
Freedom Front leader Pieter Groenewald asked what would happen to the land once it was expropriated.
The DA earlier rejected both the motion and the amendment, saying any change to the Constitution in this regard would be a recipe for disaster in South Africa.
DA Spokesperson on Land, Thandeka Mmabola, voiced her party’s objections. “The expropriation of land without compensation cannot be a solution. Expropriation without compensation cannot be a solution. Only few months ago, the members on the right side of the house agreed with this position when the EFF raised its previous motion to expropriate without compensation. Today they are back-tracking.”
EFF leader Julius Malema earlier said his party’s motion to provide for the expropriation of land without compensation was not about revenge.
Introducing the motion for debate in the National Assembly, Malema said the provisions of the constitution allowed for amendments to be made in order to address the thorny issue of land ownership.
“We want to say to the AN, ‘this is an opportune moment since you have agreed to your conference to amend the constitution.’ Anyone who says we can expropriate land without compensation without amending the constitution, that person is misleading us. Because if that was the case, the ANC would have long expropriated this land without compensation. So, we need to amend this constitution and we must amend this constitution unashamedly.”
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INFOGRAPHIC: South African Land Ownership by race per province
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