The ANC’s drive to amend the constitution to pave the way for expropriation of land without compensation has been derailed by the Covid-19 crisis.
This after the ad hoc committee tasked with finalising the issue was unable to conclude its work, including public hearings across the country, before its term expires on May 31. Parliament said on Friday that the ad hoc committee’s lifespan had lapsed and would therefore need to be reconstituted at a later date.
This means the land issue, which has polarised the country and caused jitters among investors, is unlikely to be finalised this year amid the restrictions on public gatherings due to the pandemic. The ad hoc committee is required to engage in extensive public consultation before making a final decision.
The ad hoc committee had already visited several provinces for public hearings, but could not finalise its work due to the national lockdown, parliament said in a statement. Committee chair Mathole Motshekga said, however, that the committee’s work will not be in vain, as it will continue where it left off once it is revived by parliament.
There are fears that land expropriation without compensation, which is meant to address skewed land ownership dating back to the colonial and apartheid eras, could rattle investors and hurt SA’s already struggling economy.
The Banking Association SA, which represents all registered banks in the country, previously said that while it is necessary for the country to deal with land reform, it has to be done without discouraging investment.
But recently, the ANC proposed a drastic change, shifting the arbitration powers from the courts to the executive in terms of compensation to be paid. Motshekga, said at the time that if the courts are to determine compensation “it will take another 25 or 50 years to sort out land reform”.
The matter is set to be challenged in court by various stakeholders and political parties.
DA parliamentary caucus chair Annelie Lotriet said the party welcomes the decision to lapse the ad hoc committee. “We have never supported land expropriation without compensation and hope that the ANC will also come to its senses and realise that this has never been a feasible idea,” Lotriet said.
She said the whole process was based on an unconstitutional motion in the first place. The DA had submitted a report objecting to the findings of the first ad hoc parliamentary committee.
“The process was not finished and potentially compromised due to insufficient public participation and the findings of the committee being clearly predetermined. The second committee’s work was built on the fraudulent and erroneous work done by the first committee,” Lotriet said, adding that expropriation without compensation is “nothing more than an electioneering tool from an ANC pushed into a corner by EFF rhetoric”.
“With the question marks hanging over the possible postponement of the next election, it should not be any wonder that the ANC has lost its urgency regarding this matter. The DA can only assume that the ANC will regain its vigour when it once again needs to court voters.”
Lotriet said the DA will submit parliamentary questions to ascertain exactly how much money the legislature has spent “on what was essentially a mass ANC canvassing”.
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