Johannesburg - AgriSA has deemed the re-opening of land claims for the next five years as a “crushing blow” for commercial farmers, Rapport newspaper reported on Sunday.
“Farmers are now deeply uncertain about whether they should invest in their land over the next two years; what will happen if a land claim is lodged?,” AgriSA deputy president Theo de Jager told the newspaper.
“They do not know if they must sow for the following harvest.”
He said that AgriSA had spoken to government about this.
“There are big question marks hanging over the integrity of those discussions because several ministers had previously said that the land claims will not be reopened.”
The amendment bill on the restitution of lands rights was adopted in Parliament on Tuesday.
The amendment bill sets a new deadline for land claims - December 31, 2018. The previous deadline was December 31, 1998. - Sapa