EFF STATEMENT ON THE ADOPTION OF THE REPORT OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW COMMITTEE
Tuesday, 4 December, 2018
The EFF welcomes the adoption of the Constitutional Review Committee Report, by Parliaments National Assembly today. This resolution kickstarts the important process for the amendment of the constitution, to allow expropriation of land without compensation.
This whole process is made possible by a motion of the EFF, resulting in parliament's confrontation of the historic challenge of land dispossession. For the first time, the whole country was led to face up to a matter that causes many nations to disintegrate in violence and death: the land question.
After rigorous, yet peaceful public consultations, parliament has adopted the report of the Constitutional Review Committee, which calls for a constitutional amendment, to allow for expropriation without compensation. Nothing demonstrates South Africa's formidable democracy more than this process.
The EFF is particularly proud of the manner in which the committee handled its affairs, despite numerous intimidation tactics by right-wingers, in the form of Afriforum and the Freedom Front Plus. We are also proud of the hundreds of thousands of South Africans, who participated in the public hearings across the country, and made it absolutely clear that the Constitution must be amended to allow expropriation of land without compensation.
This public participation process was unprecedented in the history of democratic South Africa. It allowed for ordinary South Africans, to tell members of parliament that they had a once in a lifetime opportunity to alter the course of history, and close the chapter of landlessness for good.
We further support the recommendation by the Constitutional Review Committee, that all processes relating to the amendment of Section 25 must be completed before the 2019 general elections, to allow the country to move forward. We therefore urge Parliament to prioritise the processing of the Constitutional Amendment Bill, and allow members of parliament to work through that Bill, and have both Houses of parliament approve that Bill before the term of this parliament expires.
We would like to thank the millions of South Africans who have walked with us through this road, and further commit ourselves once more, that land will be redistributed to end landlessness of all black people, Africans in particular.
Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, 4 December 2018
