The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed a law allowing the government to seize land from whites without compensation, a move that has sparked a fierce conflict within his government.
More than 30 years after the end of apartheid, black South Africans own only a small portion of the agricultural land in their country, with the vast majority remaining in the hands of a small number of white settlers.
The government said the law “clarifies how land expropriation can be carried out and on what grounds.”
The new law replaces the previous Land Acquisition Act of 1975, which required the government to compensate landowners who were willing to sell their properties under a “willing seller and willing buyer” system. The system has sparked anger and frustration over the slow pace of land ownership changes.
Ramaphosa’s ANC has hailed the law as a significant step in the country’s reform, but some members of the coalition government have threatened to challenge it in court. The new law allows the government to take land without compensation if it is “just and equitable” and in the public interest.
Presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said that under the law, “the government cannot seize people’s property arbitrarily or for any reason other than in the public interest.”
“Confiscation of property cannot take place unless the relevant authorities try unsuccessfully to reach an agreement with the owner,” he added.
This law has been announced after a five-year consultation process and the recommendations of a special presidential committee formed to investigate this issue.
