A wide-ranging public participation process is under way on government’s proposal to amend Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for expropriation without compensation. As this gains momentum, agricultural union TAU SA urges that the proposal should not put political point-scoring ahead of South Africa’s food security and socio-economic stability. Danie du Plessis, manager of TAU SA’s Mpumalanga chapter, spells out this view.
TAU SA’s input to the Constitutional Review Committee is intended to deliver a meaningful contribution on the issue of expropriation without compensation (EWC). The union considers this proposal, as tabled in Parliament, to be unconstitutional, unethical, and an instrument to dispossess the property of all South Africans. There is a strong possibility that misery and ruin lie ahead for the country if Section 25 of the Constitution is amended in Parliament.
Those in government who come up with proposals such as these appear not to realise that land reform will not bring jobs, poverty relief or food security if the land is not utilised to bring the desired product to the table. Food security simply means that agriculture, as practised now in South Africa, delivers food to the tables of millions of people. We are ranked number seven out of 10 countries in Africa that enjoy food security.
THE CONSTITUTION ALREADY ALLOWS FOR EXPROPRIATION
Land reform in South Africa has had a troublesome past. Since December 1998, the process has almost come to a standstill. Why this has happened is adequately addressed in the report by the Eminent Persons Group, delivered to Parliament and made public on 16 October 2017. The report covers a wide range of issues such as poverty, job creation, land reform, and the structure of society. On the question of land reform, the report is clear that there is no need to change the Constitution to expropriate property without compensation. There is already adequate legislation that can be implemented to address land reform, poverty, unemployment and inequality.
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