Landowners whose land the government wants to expropriate will be able to contest the amount the state is prepared to pay out. This provision is contained in the new expropriation bill tabled before parliament yesterday.If the amount offered is contested by the landowner, a court will decide whether a settlement is "just and equitable" .The bill will, however, make it very difficult for landowners to delay expropriation once it has lawfully been decided upon.The Deputy Minister of Public Works, Jeremy Cronin, said the bill aimed to establish uniform measures for expropriation, and to respect the rights of property owners and their workers. He emphasised that not only farmers and rural people would be affected.He claimed that organised agriculture was very favourably disposed towards the bill.The process to be followed would be that a notice of intention to expropriate would be published, including detailed reasons for expropriation. There would be a right to object, leading to a process to try and solve the impasse.This would be followed by a notice of expropriation, including the proposed payment.Cronin said that the rights of farmworkers would be taken into account.DA MP James Masango said his party would fight the bill with all its power."The bill will have a disastrous impact on the lives of all South Africans as it will inevitably lead to mass job losses as a direct result of a capital flight away from South Africa The bill is a populist ANC ploy to garner votes in 2016," said Masango...