Lobby group, AfriForum, says the newly proposed Land Court will not contribute to land reform and restitution in the country.
The organisation says the court will instead worsen the problems that have been identified in the implementation of the land reform policy.
It was responding to government’s announcement that a Land Court Bill will be introduced to Parliament soon and it proposes the Land Court to adjudicate on all land related matters with additional responsibilities such as conflict resolution and mediation.
But Head of Policy at AfriForum, Ernst Roets, is not convinced this is the way to go.
He says more than 90% of government driven land reform programmes have failed.
“What a new court would do, however, is it will cost more money, which is something the South African government does not have. Other than that the Constitution has not been changed to allow for expropriation without compensation,” he says.
“There is still a process in this regard and there are still court cases in this regard. AfriForum has already indicated that if this Bill were to pass, we will take up this matter and challenge the act then on the constitutionality thereof. So to institute a Land Court is premature,” adds Roets.
The video below, is a press conference on Land Court Bill and Land Reform initiatives:
In October 2020, Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) called for sensitivity and sensibility in tackling land reform.
While acknowledging that the country can no longer afford to ignore the issue, BLSA’s Tebele Luthuli urged that it be done within the ambit of the law.
