Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane has warned that interfering with property rights through land expropriation without compensation could be catastrophic for South Africa’s economy.
Maimane was addressing the annual convention and property exhibition of the Property Owners Association in Durban.
Maimane says amending the constitution to tamper with property rights will scare investors and ultimately collapse South Africa’s economy.
“We don’t think that the constitution is the problem, we think that the primary focus of all South Africans ought to be creating laws that can ensure that South Africans can own land in their own rights that in cities we accelerate the programme of rolling out the title deeds,” says Maimane.
Maimane says, “In rural communities we set up schemes where those who work the land can own the part of the land and so we think the constitution is not the problem we need the political will power to deliver on the mandate of the land reform and land restitution. If we amend the constitution and we simply allow a lack of control around property rights we will commit economic suicide.”
