South Africa’s only non-ANC-ruled province has welcomed yesterday’s rejection by 64 votes in parliament that the Constitution be changed to enable the expropriation of land without compensation.
The proposed 18th Amendment to Section 25, which enshrines the right to safely own property, needed 267 votes but only received 204.
This morning the government of the Western Cape said: “This brings an end to the irrational land proposals by the governing party in South Africa.
“We have always believed that land distribution in South Africa is skewed and threatens to destabilise our society.
“However, it is not the existing policy that has failed to create meaningful land reform but rather a lack of political will, poor implementation, corruption, and insufficient resources.”
The statement, issued by the provincial minister of agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer, added that the Western Cape government “opposed the amendment bill because of the economic impact of expropriation without compensation.
“The introduction of expropriation without compensation as proposed by the amendment posed a real threat to undermine the property rights of those who were previously disadvantaged and who have worked tirelessly to own their property.
“This policy would not have addressed the slow pace of land reform or improved the previously disadvantaged livelihoods.
“What is now needed is a pragmatic and rational approach that will operate within the current constitutional provisions on land redistribution.”
