The majority of Gert Sibande District Municipality residents in Mpumalanga have submitted that land should be expropriated without compensation and women should be empowered and supported in land ownership and production. This came up during public hearings on the proposed amendment to section 25 of the Constitution.
Community members from farms, towns and villages gathered in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, to engage with the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee dealing with the bill on the expropriation of land without compensation. Many of the attendees agreed with the proposal for land to be expropriated without compensation. They also want women to play a pivotal role in land ownership and agricultural production.
However, farmers have rejected the call. They believe that the amendment of section 25 on the Constitution will drastically affect food security and the country’s economy.
“The goals for land reforms have not been meet and we get the findings of killing of the legislation that is lack of satisfactory because of the lack of implementations, as Grain South African we still do not support expropriation without compensation. We are not in favour of writing something wrong of the past with a wrong again,” says Grain South Africa’s Ryk Pretorious.
This is the second round of consultations to ascertain the views of the public on the land question.
The Ad Hoc Committee has until the end of March to make its submission of reports to Parliament and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
