Following the enactment of the Land Expropriation Act, the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, says he will not allow the expropriation of private property without compensation.
President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Land Expropriation Bill into law on Thursday.
PUBLIC WORKS MINISTER DEFYING PRESIDENT OVER EXPROPRIATION ACT?
The South African previously reported that the National Assembly approved the Expropriation Bill in September 2022 and the Democratic Alliance (DA), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) voted against the Bill.
According to Parliament, the purpose of the Land Expropriation Bill was to repeal the existing apartheid-era Expropriation Act of 1975, which was not in line with the Constitution. The Bill further seeks to provide for certain instances where expropriation with nil compensation may be appropriate in the public interest.
Reacting to the enactment, Macpherson who us the DA chairperson in KwaZulu-Natal took to X (previously Twitter) to affirm that the legislation will not be implemented under his watch.
“As the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, there will be NO expropriation of private property without compensation on my watch. The guarantee of property rights under Section 25 of the Constitution is not up for debate and is non-negotiable,” he posted on X.
Macpherson’s comments also contradict his deputy Sihle Zikalala who said they welcome the signing and are ready to implement the Expropriation Act.
This is not the first time a DA minister has openly defied Ramaphosa. During the signing ceremony of the Basic Education Amendment Laws (BELA) Act, the minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, didn’t attend and raised concerns about certain clauses of the legislation. However, this has since been resolved, and Gwarube is forging ahead with implementing the BELA Act in its entirety.
In addition, despite being part of the ANC-led Government of National Unity (GNU), the DA is against most policies that the former ruling party wants to implement including the National Health Insurance (NHI).
MIXED REACTIONS FROM POLITICAL PARTIES
There were mixed reactions from various political parties following the enactment of the Expropriation Act.
Macpherson’s party said it strongly it is opposed to the Expropriation Act and is consulting its legal team to prepare its case.
The party’s national spokesperson Karabo Khakhau told Newzroom Afrika that they are not happy with the procedure followed for passing the Expropriation Bill.
Khakhau said they are of a firm belief that if South Africans are expected to recognise, abide by, and respect the law, the bare minimum they can do as Parliamentarians is to ensure that they respect South Africans procedurally enough to give them legislation that is sober, makes sense, and passes procedural mastery.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said the Expropriation Act is a cop-out by the ANC and only used to fool people into believing that the party to address the almost tyrannical neglect of the land question in the country.
“It will not assist in resolving the tragedy of land restitution in this country, which has hollowed out state coffers for compensation to white settlers who illegitimately own our land,” EFF spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys said.
Likewise, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party said the Land Expropriation Act disguised as a solution to South Africa’s land question is nothing but a continuation of injustice and betrayal of people’s struggles for true land restitution.
“The MK Party categorically rejects this law and its attempts to sanitise the theft of our land. Our ancestors’ cries for justice cannot be silenced by legislative tricks designed to preserve the status quo,” MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said.
DO YOU THINK THE GNU WOULD LAST GIVEN THE DISAGREEMENTS OVER POLICY IMPLEMENTATION?
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