Land expropriation without compensation was the main topic during the budget debate of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform.
The budget was delivered by Minister Maite Nkoane-Mashabane in Parliament.
Nkoane-Mashabane says instances of land grabs are signs of frustration with the pace of land reform.
“To improve efficiencies in the land restitution program we commit to strengthen the capacity of the Commission on the Restitution of Land Rights. This will include consideration of a suitable operating model, a redesign of the claims process to reduce the unnecessary bureaucracy to fast track settlement of claims.”
Her deputy, Mcebisi Skwatsha, has cautioned against the illegal invading of land.
“Fellow Sans appeal to our people to desist from illegal invasion of land and property, illegal invasions in the meantime successful, but short lived.”
Opposition parties such as the DA, EFF and FF Plus, had their views on expropriating land without compensation.
“The ANC has again shown with its departmental budget that they don’t care about land reform, spending more on VIPs at R2.9 billion than it does on land reform at R2.7 billion.”
“We thus argue that it is the ANC government’s inefficiency and not the Constitution – that has failed to address this injustice. What we need is a change in government, not a change to Section 25 of the Constitution.”
Members of the NFP and IFP called for speedy progress to access to land.
Meanwhile, Parliament’s Joint Constitutional Review Committee has noted with grave concern an SMS that the intention of reviewing section 25 of the Constitution is to expropriate everything they owned.
The Co-Chairperson, Vincent Smith, warned that it is untrue.
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