The United Africans Transformation (UAT) party says the Expropriation Bill, which was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa this week, falls short of addressing the historical injustices of land dispossession.
The political party said the law, presented as a solution to South Africa’s land crisis, reinforced the unequal patterns of land ownership that were established through colonialism and apartheid.
It said the new law aligned itself with section 25 of the constitution, which prioritised compensation for expropriated land.
“This approach fails to confront the root causes of landlessness and dispossession in South Africa. By restricting restitution to land lost after 1913, the law excludes the earlier dispossessions that began with the arrival of European settlers in 1652,” the UAT said.
It said this exclusion denied justice to the generations of Africans whose land was seized long before the implementation of the 1913 Land Act.
“The so-called 'nil compensation' clause, which claims to allow for expropriation without payment under specific circumstances, is misleading and insufficient. It applies only to certain types of land, such as abandoned or speculative holdings, and will not significantly alter the deeply entrenched ownership patterns in the country.”
It said landowners were still protected by the constitution and had the ability to challenge expropriation decisions in court.
“This law perpetuates the same failed 'willing buyer, willing seller' model that has proven ineffective over the past three decades.”
The party said during public consultations, the overwhelming majority of South Africans called for land expropriation without compensation. It said the government, however, ignored this clear mandate, opting instead for an approach that prioritised the interests of landowners over the needs of the dispossessed.
“To achieve genuine land reform, UAT demands a comprehensive amendment to the constitution, explicitly allowing for land expropriation without compensation to address historical injustices.”
The party also demanded the removal of the 1913 cut-off date, replacing it with a framework that recognised land dispossessions that occurred as far back as 1652.
TimesLIVE
UAT criticises the expropriation bill as insufficient for land justice
Journalist
Image: ESA ALEXANDER
The United Africans Transformation (UAT) party says the Expropriation Bill, which was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa this week, falls short of addressing the historical injustices of land dispossession.
The political party said the law, presented as a solution to South Africa’s land crisis, reinforced the unequal patterns of land ownership that were established through colonialism and apartheid.
It said the new law aligned itself with section 25 of the constitution, which prioritised compensation for expropriated land.
“This approach fails to confront the root causes of landlessness and dispossession in South Africa. By restricting restitution to land lost after 1913, the law excludes the earlier dispossessions that began with the arrival of European settlers in 1652,” the UAT said.
It said this exclusion denied justice to the generations of Africans whose land was seized long before the implementation of the 1913 Land Act.
“The so-called 'nil compensation' clause, which claims to allow for expropriation without payment under specific circumstances, is misleading and insufficient. It applies only to certain types of land, such as abandoned or speculative holdings, and will not significantly alter the deeply entrenched ownership patterns in the country.”
It said landowners were still protected by the constitution and had the ability to challenge expropriation decisions in court.
“This law perpetuates the same failed 'willing buyer, willing seller' model that has proven ineffective over the past three decades.”
The party said during public consultations, the overwhelming majority of South Africans called for land expropriation without compensation. It said the government, however, ignored this clear mandate, opting instead for an approach that prioritised the interests of landowners over the needs of the dispossessed.
“To achieve genuine land reform, UAT demands a comprehensive amendment to the constitution, explicitly allowing for land expropriation without compensation to address historical injustices.”
The party also demanded the removal of the 1913 cut-off date, replacing it with a framework that recognised land dispossessions that occurred as far back as 1652.
TimesLIVE
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