Deputy President Paul Mashatile has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expropriation of land without compensation.
Mashatile said this would be done through the department of public works and infrastructure’s Expropriation Bill once it has been signed into law.
The bill, which was approved by parliament in March and is waiting for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signature, outlines the process for expropriating property for public purposes or in the public interest.
MK parliamentary leader John Hlophe had asked Mashatile if he would concede that the absence of a bill relating to expropriation of land without compensation as opposed to “the vague and deceptive notion” of nil compensation was a clear indication of the government’s unwillingness to address the issue of land reform.
He referenced an ANC conference resolution in 2017 that called for expropriation of land without compensation. Hlophe also cited the overwhelming number of submissions to parliament during the section 25 amendment process, saying it was his party’s view that the nil compensation notion amounted to no more than a sell-out posture.
Mashatile corrected him, saying the ANC national conference in December 2022 acknowledged and accepted that the party could not amend the constitution because it did not have the required majority.
“Once we acknowledged that, the conference then said ‘go and speed up the process of the Expropriation Act’, which in a way would take into account some of the things that we could not achieve by amending the constitution.”
Mashatile said he would speak to Ramaphosa about signing the bill into law.
On the wording — “without compensation” and “nil compensation” — he said the intention was the same and the difference was wording.
“It may well be that you have issues with the wording thereof, but the intention is to achieve exactly that ... that we need to expropriate land without compensation where applicable.
“We use the words in the act that ‘we should expropriate land if it’s in the public interest’.
“The issue of nil compensation, I will look at. But my sense is nil compensation is that you don’t pay. Maybe we need to relook the language,” he said.
Mashatile said to the extent that the bill may not have the effect of distributing land the way (some) want, (the MK Party) was at liberty to bring a motion to try to change the constitution if it can get the required majority.
Once the bill becomes an act, the government will be in a better position to accelerate the pace of land reform, land restitution and sustainable development that will benefit all the people of South Africa, said Mashatile.
He said a lot of work was already happening. “Let’s accelerate it. Let’s not wait for the day when we might be able to amend the constitution, let’s do this expropriation act.”
Mashatile said accelerating land reform remained a key priority of the government.
In the past five years alone, the IMC through the relevant departments and state organs has redistributed 305,990ha, with 127,525ha allocated to women, 111,071ha to youth, and 2,781ha to people with disabilities between 2019 and 2024.
“About 2.3-million people have benefited from land restitution, where a total of R25bn was spent on the restitution of 3,972,331ha.
“An additional R22.5bn has been spent on financial compensation for those beneficiaries who opted to receive financial compensation instead of the land being transferred.”
The National Assembly couldn't pass the amendment to section 25 of the constitution to allow for expropriation without compensation in December 2021, as the ANC and EFF differed on who would own the expropriated land.
TimesLIVE
Mashatile says state is committed to land expropriation 'in public interest'
MKP's Hlophe says government 'unwilling to address issue of land reform'
Deputy President Paul Mashatile has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expropriation of land without compensation.
Mashatile said this would be done through the department of public works and infrastructure’s Expropriation Bill once it has been signed into law.
The bill, which was approved by parliament in March and is waiting for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signature, outlines the process for expropriating property for public purposes or in the public interest.
MK parliamentary leader John Hlophe had asked Mashatile if he would concede that the absence of a bill relating to expropriation of land without compensation as opposed to “the vague and deceptive notion” of nil compensation was a clear indication of the government’s unwillingness to address the issue of land reform.
He referenced an ANC conference resolution in 2017 that called for expropriation of land without compensation. Hlophe also cited the overwhelming number of submissions to parliament during the section 25 amendment process, saying it was his party’s view that the nil compensation notion amounted to no more than a sell-out posture.
Mashatile corrected him, saying the ANC national conference in December 2022 acknowledged and accepted that the party could not amend the constitution because it did not have the required majority.
“Once we acknowledged that, the conference then said ‘go and speed up the process of the Expropriation Act’, which in a way would take into account some of the things that we could not achieve by amending the constitution.”
Mashatile said he would speak to Ramaphosa about signing the bill into law.
On the wording — “without compensation” and “nil compensation” — he said the intention was the same and the difference was wording.
“It may well be that you have issues with the wording thereof, but the intention is to achieve exactly that ... that we need to expropriate land without compensation where applicable.
“We use the words in the act that ‘we should expropriate land if it’s in the public interest’.
“The issue of nil compensation, I will look at. But my sense is nil compensation is that you don’t pay. Maybe we need to relook the language,” he said.
Mashatile said to the extent that the bill may not have the effect of distributing land the way (some) want, (the MK Party) was at liberty to bring a motion to try to change the constitution if it can get the required majority.
Once the bill becomes an act, the government will be in a better position to accelerate the pace of land reform, land restitution and sustainable development that will benefit all the people of South Africa, said Mashatile.
He said a lot of work was already happening. “Let’s accelerate it. Let’s not wait for the day when we might be able to amend the constitution, let’s do this expropriation act.”
Mashatile said accelerating land reform remained a key priority of the government.
In the past five years alone, the IMC through the relevant departments and state organs has redistributed 305,990ha, with 127,525ha allocated to women, 111,071ha to youth, and 2,781ha to people with disabilities between 2019 and 2024.
“About 2.3-million people have benefited from land restitution, where a total of R25bn was spent on the restitution of 3,972,331ha.
“An additional R22.5bn has been spent on financial compensation for those beneficiaries who opted to receive financial compensation instead of the land being transferred.”
The National Assembly couldn't pass the amendment to section 25 of the constitution to allow for expropriation without compensation in December 2021, as the ANC and EFF differed on who would own the expropriated land.
TimesLIVE
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