The Western Cape government says that land expropriation without compensation is unlikely to improve the lives of the previously disadvantaged, and is not the appropriate intervention to address land reform issues.
The amendment Bill seeks to amend the Constitution to expressly allow for expropriation without compensation.
Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde said that “further centralising powers to that level of government would be detrimental,” and held disastrous consequences for South Africa.
In a country impacted severely by corruption and maladministration, further centralising powers to that level of government would be detrimental.
— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) August 24, 2021
Winde adds that the provincial government had, from the outset, been opposed to expropriation without compensation.
“The right to property is an important right that cannot be done away with. The current amendment Bill is also not only confusing and ambiguous but, on one possible reading, also seeks to exclude the important and constitutional role that courts should play in determining the amount of compensation paid.
“It also aims to further centralise power to the state by introducing the concept of ‘state custodianship’. In a country impacted severely by corruption and maladministration, further centralising powers to that level of government would be detrimental,” he said.
Meanwhile, Western Cape Agriculture MEC Ivan Meyer said the amendment would severely impact the economy: “The Western Cape government is rejecting the constitutional amendment because we have evidence, research and studies that it has failed elsewhere and therefore we cannot support it.”
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