S. African Upper House of Parliament approves report in favor of land reform
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E-mail Xinhua, December 6, 2018
CAPE TOWN, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The South African National Council of Provinces (NCOP), or Upper House of Parliament, on Wednesday approved a report in favor of land expropriation without compensation.
The approval was granted after eight of the nine provinces backed the report submitted last month by Parliament's Joint Constitutional Review Committee (JCRC).
The report recommends that section 25 of the Constitution be amended to make it explicitly clear that expropriation of land without compensation by the state in the public interest should be one mechanism to address the injustices of the past, inflicted on the majority of South Africans.
This came after the National Assembly, or Lower House of Parliament, on Tuesday voted in support of the report.
In Wednesday's voting, the NCOP, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) gave their stamp of approval to the report, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) voted against it.
Lewis Nzimande, co-chairperson of the JCRC, said the committee had followed all processes required to amend the Constitution.
The approval by both Houses of Parliament will result in a bill to legalize land expropriation without compensation.
Details of the bill would have to be published in the Government Gazette at least 30 days before it is introduced. This is to allow for public comment.
The National Assembly may consider and vote on the bill at least 30 days after its introduction.
Once the legislative process is completed, the bill will be submitted to the President to be signed into law.
Also on Wednesday, AgriSA, a farmers' association, expressed concern over the adoption of the report by Parliament.
The association said implementing land expropriation without compensation will not solve land reform problems but rather increasing food insecurity.
The government has repeatedly assured that it will pursue the land reform without destabilizing the agricultural sector, endangering food security in the country, or undermining economic growth and job creation. Enditem
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