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Nil compensation not part of EFF motion on expropriation of land without compensation: Malema

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Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says the concept of “nil compensation” was never part of the EFF motion on the expropriation of land without compensation.

Malema says it was also not part of the resolution taken by the Constitutional Review Committee.

He was speaking during the debate on the Constitution 18th Amendment Bill.

The Bill which could not be passed makes reference to nil compensation instead of expropriation without compensation.

The EFF voted against the Bill.

Malema says the concept of nil compensation was a manipulation.

“The concept of nil compensation was never there when Parliament resolved to adopt the EFF motion in 2018 and when it adopted the report of the Constitutional Review Committee. The nil compensation was introduced by the legal office of Parliament in collaboration with and at the insistence of lobby groups that captured this process for their own selfish interest.”

“We reject the assertion of nil compensation. Simply because it is vague and will, in essence, provide for extra limited instances in which compensation could be at below the market value of the land,” adds Malema.

But Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola says the EFF, Democratic Alliance (DA) and Freedom Front Plus’ rejection of the Constitution 18th Amendment Bill, is evidence that the trio agree on everything including their opposition to land reform.

They are some of the opposition parties that rejected the Bill.

Minister Lamola says the EFF, DA and Freedom Front Plus continue to pretend that they are not having a partnership but continue to vote together.

“When forces in the extreme left and extreme right converge against the people it is a counter-revolutionary. In this entanglement, the EFF, the DA and the Freedom Front Plus pretend not to be in the same bed. They behave like couples who have celebrated lobola yet they tell the whole world they are not married. ”

“How ironic that they vote together in local government. They pronounced that they will vote together today to oppose the Bill, yet they continue to tell the people of this country that they are not coalition partners. It’s clear this entanglement has graduated into a coalition. They are agreeing on everything including to oppose land reform,” says Lamola.

During the debate, Al Jama-ah leader Ganief Hendricks expressed disappointment that the EFF and ANC could not find each other ahead of the debate.

“House chair it is sad that the ANC and the EFF did not show leadership on the eve of this debate. There cannot be a demand for property rights when 90% if 90% of the property has been taken forcibly taken or favourably so [by]whites or given by King Edward and Winston Churchill and colonial powers to whites, both English speaking and Afrikaners.”

“The ANC is the only substantial political party left over from the liberation movement and best place to get forcibly stolen land back. That is why South Africans all over the country supported this amendment in large numbers and that’s why Al Jama-Ah supported the amendments as amended,” adds Hendricks.

African Transformation Movement (ATM) leader Vuyo Zungula says the ANC misled the nation by giving false hope that Section 25 of the Constitution was going to be amended.

Zungula says the substitution of the words “nil compensation instead of without compensation” in the Constitution 18th Amendment Bill is also at the centre of the problem, as it amended the original motion.

“As the ATM, we want to express our utmost disappointment in the African National Congress and its collaborators for misleading the people of South Africa into thinking that today is a historic day to mark the amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution to effect land expropriation without compensation.”

“The problem started in this house when the amended motion was converted into a resolution. The resolution adopted by the House betrayed the fundamentals as contained in the amended motion. In short, substituting expropriation without compensation with expropriation with nil compensation is the essence of the sham,” adds Zungula.

But the Freedom Front Plus Chief Whip Corne Mulder told the National Assembly that nil compensation and no compensation have the same meaning and [an] objective which the FF Plus is against.

The FF Plus is one of the parties that voted against the Bill.

Mulder explains: “This is unacceptable. Whenever provision is made for nil compensation we are dealing with confiscation. Nil Compensation as a term is being used by the ANC because they are too embarrassed and too shy to tell the international community that the democratic government of South Africa is prepared to take people’s property without any compensation. Nil compensation means exactly the same as no compensation.”

Meanwhile, Ahmed Shaik-Emam says despite the debate, people’s rights continue to be violated without any action against such violations.

“Chairperson while we are debating what happened many many years ago, currently as we speak right now chairperson, people’s rights are being violated. People are being evicted mercilessly and nothing is being done about it.”

Only 204 MPs voted in favour of the Bill with 145 voting against it.

Those who voted against the Bill to amend Section 25 of the Constitution are the EFF, DA, FF-Plus, GOOD, IFP, ACDP and COPE.

National Assembly debates amendment of section 25 of the Constitution:

 

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