WHY S. AFRICA NEEDS LAND EXPROPRIATION

On 23 January, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law the Land Expropriation Bill, introduced in 2022. This will enable the government to expropriate privately owned (in particular, White-owned) land for public purposes or in the public interest.

The final piece of legislation is a watered-down version of what the country's opposition Economic Freedom Fighters party (EFF) has for years been fighting for. While the EFF had advocated for zero compensation for the expropriated land, the new law states that this will only be applied as a last-resort measure. That prompted the EFF to reject the new law, describing it as an 'absurdity' and 'an attempt to fool our people.'

The party argues that the new law will not be able adequately to address the existing land inequalities caused by centuries of racial oppression of Black South Africans. The EFF is particularly opposed to the 'willing buyer, willing seller' clause in the act, which requires consensus between the expropriating authority and the owner of the property on the amount of compensation. (In the event that the two sides cannot agree on the amount, courts have to determine an amount of compensation that is considered just and equitable.)

The debate around land expropriation has raged on in South Africa for decades. In this video from 2018, African Stream Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Kaballo explains why land reform is a non-negotiable requirement for South Africa to address the ever-growing economic and social inequality between Black South Africans and the descendants of White colonial settlers. Kaballo made the remarks back in December 2018, shortly after South Africa's parliament overwhelmingly passed a committee report recommending amending the constitution to allow for expropriation without compensation.

Video credit: Press TV UK

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNoWJxK9QoY

https://mg.co.za/politics/2025-01-24-newly-signed-expropriation-bill-heading-for-court-cabinet-clearing-house/

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-01-25-tensions-rise-in-gnu-john-steenhuisen-calls-for-urgent-dialogue-following-expropriation-act-signing/?dm_source=top_reads_block&dm_medium=card_link&dm_campaign=top_reads&dm_content=maverick_news

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNoWJxK9QoY

https://x.com/EFFSouthAfrica/status/1882484477949337711