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A piece of farmland
President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law the Expropriation Bill. The legislation has been five years in the making, following public consultations and Parliamentary deliberations.
It repeals the pre-democratic Expropriation Act of 1975.
The Expropriation Act outlines how organs of state may expropriate land in the public interest for varied reasons.
Section 25 of the Constitution recognises expropriation as an essential mechanism for the state to acquire someone’s property for public purpose or in the public interest, subject to just and equitable compensation being paid.
Meanwhile, the African Transformation Movement (ATM) has criticized President Cyril Ramaphosa for signing the Expropriation Bill into law.
ATM President Vuyolwethu Zungula says the bill does not address any of the past injustices.
“Any discussion about land expropriation without compensation must start from the 6th of April 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck landed in South Africa because the cut-off date in terms of some of these legislations that have been brought about by government only starts at 1913. Whereas bulk of the land possession took place before then. And then the second thing is the land expropriation must be coupled with taking the land to its rightful owners. So, it cannot be that they will take the land to the government instead of restoring the land to its rightful owners.”
Video: Expropriation Bill – ATM’s Vuyolwethu Zungula reacts
