Johannesburg - South Africa’s ruling party said the state
should pay fair compensation for land it acquires for distribution to the
country’s black majority, contradicting a suggestion by President Jacob Zuma
that the constitution should be changed to allow for free expropriation.
The government’s land redistribution policy needs to be
more clearly articulated and it should spell out what constitutes just and
equitable compensation for real estate, the African National Congress said in a
discussion document released Sunday before a party conference to be held in
Johannesburg June 30-July 5.
The ANC dominates South African politics, having won more
than 60 percent of the vote in every election since it took power in 1994. It
suffered its worst ever electoral performance in a municipal vote in August,
amid mounting discontent over high levels of poverty, unemployment and
corruption.
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The party said it needs to focus more intently on the
“radical economic and social transformation of our country” to ensure its
wealth is more evenly distributed and that it must act urgently to restore its
moral character to win back public trust.
“The ANC’s own internal challenges, such as social
distance between leaders and members, widespread corruption, poor performance
in government and abuse of organisational processes for personal gain, will
contribute to the ANC’s demise if left unattended,” the party said.