ANC and EFF motion trying to sneak state custodianship through Parliament

4 June 2021

The DA today voted against the motion submitted by the ANC Chief Whip, Pemmy Majodina to request an extension to the Section 25 Ad-Hoc Committee to 30 August.

We objected to this extension as it is nothing more than an effort to provide an opportunity for the ANC and the EFF to include custodianship in the amendment of Sec 25 of the Constitution.

By asking Parliament for an order “instructing the Committee to incorporate in its work proceedings and all the work of the previous committee up to and including 31 May 2021”, the ANC is desperately trying to keep the EFF onside by giving them the false assurance that their demand for the nationalisation of land is still on the table.

What the ANC/EFF coalition fails to understand is that this naked attempt to smuggle these ‘new’ provisions into the proposed section 25 amendment substantially and materially alters the original Bill that was gazetted. By operation of law, any material or substantive amendments have to go back to Parliament and the public for comments.

Parliament should be alert to the reality that the ANC/EFF coalition is trying to mislead it into issuing an order that they will use to broaden the scope of the committee beyond its original mandate.

The ANC is trying to make extreme concessions to the EFF on this ill-thought amendment in the hope that they will help them secure the two-thirds needed in the National Assembly to pass the Bill. This is not only reckless but is also revealing because it shows that they are using the land issue to score political points at the expense of the nation’s economic stability.

The bid to place land under the custodianship of the State will effectively “nationalise” the land under the control of the State and will lead to property owners being deprived of their land without any compensation – a disastrous move that will lead to economic devastation and escalating poverty, as it has already done in countries as diverse as Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

As the ANC/EFF are determined to press on with this issue before LGE 2021, the DA stands ready and determined to stop them and defend our Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Parliament has an obligation to protect the constitution and uphold the rule of law. The ANC/EFF coalition cannot be allowed to bully Parliament into acceding to their illegal nationalisation of land clause. Doing so will push South Africa into the abyss, destroying what is left of our economy by deterring investment, destroying prospects for growth, and driving millions more people into extreme poverty.

Issued by Annelie Lotriet, Chairperson of the DA Parliamentary Caucus, 4 June 2021