The Democratic Alliance (DA) has launched a court bid to annul the recently signed Expropriation Act, calling it unconstitutional.
The Act, signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 23 January, allows the government to expropriate land without compensation in certain circumstances deemed in the public interest.
The DA argues that the law is vague, contradictory, and procedurally flawed.
‘The DA has filed papers in the High Court to challenge the recently signed Expropriation Act, because the Act is unconstitutional, both substantively and procedurally,’ the DA said in a statement on Monday.
The DA has filed a case in the Western Cape High Court challenging the constitutionality of the new Expropriation Act on both procedural and substantive grounds.
They want the Act scrapped.
??A small thread: pic.twitter.com/WLaVzFJaeI
— Mbekezeli (@MbekezeliMB) February 10, 2025
‘The Act is vague and contradictory in several clauses.’
The law has sparked controversy, including criticism from US President Donald Trump, who claims it unfairly targets white farmers.
Trump has also frozen aid to South Africa over the issue.
? DA Federal Council Chairperson, Helen Zille, announces DA legal action to challenge the Expropriation Act!
The DA will oppose the Act to the bitter end, as we believe the Act undermines constitutional principles and opens the door to power abuse by taking people’s property… pic.twitter.com/hbmNgBKM7z
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) February 10, 2025
Land ownership remains a sensitive topic in South Africa, with most farmland still owned by white people decades after the end of apartheid.
The new law replaces an apartheid-era statute and aims to align with the post-apartheid constitution.
While the South African Government defends the law, it has condemned misinformation campaigns surrounding it.
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Picture: Democratic Alliance / Facebook
