Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Chief Whip Floyd Shivambu says South Africa will take another half a century to address the land question if expropriation is done in a piecemeal way.
Shivambu presented the EFF’s position on the amendments to the subsections of Section 25 of the Constitution.
Shivambu says a focused drive is needed to address the land issue.
“The piece by piece expropriation and distribution approach has dismally failed and has never succeeded. It will take us another 50 years to redistribute just 30-percent of South Africa’s land. That is the context of it. Security of tenure, otherwise is guaranteed for those who are occupying for residential purposes in particular,” says Shivambu.
AUDIO: Floyd Shivambu on the land issue:
No need for amendment
The ACDP says it is unnecessary to amend Section 25 of the Constitution to expropriate land without compensation. ACDP MP Wayne Thring says Section 25 currently deals adequately with restitution and makes provision to restore land that was dispossessed. Thring says a change to the Constitution is not needed.
“The ACDP’s position chair is a fairly simple one. We have from the outset indicated that the amendment of the Constitution in the view of the African Christian Democratic Party was not necessary. We understand however that the mandate was given to this particular committee to look at reviewing Section 25 and the ANC has just done that together with the EFF and maybe there is just one inclusion by the Freedom Front (Plus). That being said chair, because of the position of the ACDP, it is the view of our party that from a legal as well as a constitutional perspective, it was certainly not necessary to amend Section 25 of the Constitution,” says Thring.
AUDIO: Wayne Thring saying a change to the constitution is not needed:
DA opposed to changes in Section 25 (2)
The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it’s opposed to the changes made in Section 25 (2) of the Constitution 18th Amendment Bill to expropriate land without compensation. DA Member of the Ad Hoc Committee Annelie Lotriet elaborates.
“In terms of the proposed Section 25 (2) the DA is concerned with these amendments in the Bill. This is now in terms of the gazetted Bill as well as the ANC proposal, centres on the fact that the court’s role in the determination of when the compensation is nil, is replaced by national legislation as indicated in (subsection) 3(a). This takes away any protection property owners may have when their property is expropriated. National legislation has a much lower threshold for approval. And it opens the door for arbitrary circumstances to be determined for when compensation may be nil.”
AUDIO: Annelie Lotriet expresses DA’s views:
ANC says workable solutions are needed
ANC Member of the Ad Hoc Committee Patamedi Moroatshehla says workable solutions are needed among political parties to finalise the Constitution 18th Amendment Bill.
“It is very regrettable and it remains very unfortunate chairperson that there are still some among us and in this portfolio committee who feel that there is nothing that went wrong through the colonial and apartheid repressive laws. I mean if a person comes like the DA would come and say, is as good as having said nothing must be changed. And that statement I have said it before, and allow me to repeat it here and now, that is undermining the integrity of the 5th Parliament which Parliament said there is something wrong with the constitution Section 25 of constitution needs to be re-looked by way of being amended.”
AUDIO: Patamedi Moroatshehla on ANC’s stance:
