MPs, World Bank Exec and Ramaphosa Speak Out on Land Reform in South Africa
According to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, land reform in SA will not violate constitution. Addressing the European Parliament on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said the country will enact land reforms in adherence to the country’s constitution and with respect for the human rights of all its people. “This problem of land will be resolved through adherence […]
According to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, land reform in SA will not violate constitution. Addressing the European Parliament on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said the country will enact land reforms in adherence to the country’s constitution and with respect for the human rights of all its people.
“This problem of land will be resolved through adherence to the rule of law and adherence to the constitution,” Ramaphosa told lawmakers.
Meanwhile senior World Bank group executive Sérgio Pimenta, told Reuters on Wednesday that the ANC’s plans have “unnerved investors”.
The African National Congress (ANC) has made the acceleration of land redistribution a key issue ahead of 2019 elections, while pledging to carry out land reform in a way that does not threaten food security.
Most private land remains in the hands of the white minority more than two decades after the end of apartheid, making it a vivid symbol of wider disparities.
Pimenta said: “If you create uncertainty of some aspects of your environment, and land tenure is one of them, that is one aspect that investors will be looking at. What investors are looking for is certainty.
“The land issue is a complex issue. Whatever the solution the government is looking at, creating an environment that is reliable, that is certain, is important.”
Public hearings on land redistribution were held earlier this year across South Africa, attracting large crowds and often emotional testimony.
A parliamentary committee will consider that testimony and other contributions before recommending whether or not to change the constitution to allow land to be expropriated without compensation.
The Parliament’s Joint Constitutional Review Committee says it has received recommendations and observations from Members of Parliament. The feedback, they said, was as follows:
African National Congress (ANC): The ANC said although everyone has the right to dignity, for centuries this right of the majority of the people of South Africa has been trampled on.
The ANC indicated that the “original sin” has to be corrected and it was clear that the people at the public hearings wanted the Constitution to be changed in order to be explicit and clear.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF): The EFF made it clear that this process was not a referendum and that there should not be an overemphasis on numbers but rather on substantive issues that were raised.
The EFF said it was clear from the comments that land was not a class division but rather one that divided the nation along racial lines, with whites regarding land as their privilege.
The National Freedom Party and United Democratic Movement: Both were in support of an amendment of the Constitution.
The African Christian Democratic Party: The party said although it is in support of justice, reconciliation and nation building, it cannot support expropriation of land without compensation. It feels the current provisions in the Constitution adequately cater for land redistribution.
The Democratic Alliance: The DA said if this process is allowed to continue, it will not pass constitutional muster. The party felt the process was rushed.
The Inkatha Freedom Party, the Congress of the People, and Freedom Front Plus: These parties said the Constitution in its current form is not an impediment to land distribution, but it is rather the State machinery and the executive that hamper the process.
Opposition parties, that are against the amendment of the Constitution, stated that they are doing the observations and recommendation under protest.
Sources: Reuters and SANews