AfriForum attends public hearing on expropriation without compensation

Representatives of the civil rights organisation AfriForum attended the public hearing on amendments to Section 25 of the Constitution in Saldanha on 3 October. Deon de Jager, AfriForum’s Head of Community Structures for the South Region, spoke at the hearing. AfriForum emphasised that the ANC’s pursuit of expropriation without compensation is nothing but a political game.

Numerous examples were cited of corruption that hamper land reform efforts, especially the fact that only 6,3% of land bought by the state have since been transferred to private ownership. Moreover, more than 90% of people who submitted land claims indicated that they were not interested in owning agricultural land and would rather receive money as compensation. Government itself also admitted that more than 90% of farms which were awarded to black South Africans have failed and quickly turned into subsistence farming or squatters’ settlements.

AfriForum is of the opinion that the “hunger for land” is mostly a myth, especially regarding the demand for rural land to become farmers, because around 82% of land claims are for suburban rather than rural land.

“Government’s power games regarding land cannot be accepted without further ado, as it is to the detriment of everyone in the country. Property rights are instrumental in creating a prosperous society and AfriForum will therefore continue to fight this destructive policy,” De Jager concludes.