EFF STATEMENT ON THE LAND EXPROPRIATION PUBLIC HEARINGS IN THE NAMAKWA REGION NORTHERN CAPE.

Tuesday, 26 June, 2018

The Economic Freedom Fighters commends the people of Springbok, Namakwa Region for the resounding demand that Section 25 of the Constitution should be amended to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation. The people of Namakwa stood firm even when AfriForum and AgriSA mobilized people from outside the region to come and oppose the expropriation of Land without compensation.

The EFF once again appeals to right wing civil society organizations and agricultural associations that they should allow space for communities to express their opinion on land expropriation without compensation, without being dictated to. It is against the spirit of democratic community consultation for organizations from Pretoria to bring bombers, with extreme intimidating security details to go speak on behalf of a community they don't reside in nor represent anywhere.

It is patently racist and undermining of AfriForum to think that the people of Namakwa cannot speak for themselves and need to be represented by white representatives on the land question. We call on members of the community to protect their own meetings and reject external forces, who seek to over impose themselves into the views and submissions of communities.

The process of democratic consultations should be free, open and transparent and should not be sponsored by reactionary right wing formations, who have already made 300 000 submissions to parliament and went all over the world to mobilize against the Sovereignty of SA on the land question.

The AfriForum is also cautioned to desist from insinuating that they can use violence to solve the land question. Parliament has set a process for democratic engagement and anyone who hints on war should know that such will never succeed. Also threats of war should be dealt with decisively because we are no longer under the colonial and apartheid governments where the white minority had monopoly over violence without serious consequences.

All other communities that are still going to host community engagements on the land question should expose all infiltrations from external forces, and must use the opportunity granted to express their views on the land question.

Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, 26 June 2018