Port Elizabeth - The African National Congress remains committed to land expropriation without compensation, ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa said on Saturday.
Delivering the ANC's annual January 8 statement at the party's 106th anniversary celebrations at the Buffalo City Stadium in East London, Ramaphosa said that at the ANC's recent 54th national conference it was decided with overwhelming support that land dispossession needed to be addressed with great urgency.
"We will do so in a manner that not only meets the constitutional requirement of redress, but also promotes economic development, agricultural production, and food security. At the same time we will pursue the enormous potential of agriculture to promote industrialisation, create employment, and transform our economy."
Ramaphosa said this should be done by modernising agricultural production and developing a substantial skills pool in the industry. This would not only improve food security but also develop agro-processing, the manufacture of agricultural inputs, and increase exports. "This should have a profound effect on the sustainability of rural communities," Ramaphosa said.