MPs wants land question resolved

ANC MP and chairperson of the ad hoc committee on land expropriation, Mathole Motshekga. Photo: Matthew Jordaan

ANC MP and chairperson of the ad hoc committee on land expropriation, Mathole Motshekga. Photo: Matthew Jordaan

Published May 29, 2021

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Cape Town - The ad hoc committee on land expropriation is pushing to conclude its work by Monday with parties still having the next two days to find common ground on some of the key issues.

Parliament had given the committee until the end of May to conclude its work on the Bill on amending Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation.

The committee had first failed to meet its deadline at the end of last year and asked Speaker Thandi Modise for an extension and Parliament granted it until the end of March.

However, this deadline could not be met again and Parliament agreed to the end of May.

The committee at its meeting on Friday decided to amend the entire Section 25 and not its sub-sections to make clear on the intended purpose of the law.

Chairperson of the ad hoc committee Mathole Motshekga said the issue of land was critical and they cannot wait any longer before addressing it.

He called on political parties to conclude their bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the committee by Sunday.

This would determine what direction parties were taking on the matter.

“Failure to resolve the land question is tantamount to planting a time bomb that will bring the house down. This is not an inter-party issue. It is a national issue. We need to put the best interest of all South Africans, black and white, first,” said Motshekga

Motshekga said when it came to Section 25 they should not limit their role to certain sub-sections, but the entire section.

The committee wants to meet on Monday to look at the draft Bill.

The committee has been working on amendments to the Constitution to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation.

They had hoped to finish their work in March, but asked Parliament to extend the deadline until the end of May.

The meeting on Monday will consider the Bill that has been crafted over the last few months.

Political parties have been holding different positions on the matter with some of the opposition parties rejecting the expropriation of land without compensation.

But the ANC and EFF want the law to be effected to allow for this to happen.

Political Bureau

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