PC on Public Works shelves the Expropriation Bill for further consideration

The Portfolio Committee on Public Works has shelved the Expropriation Bill until further notice, citing lack of proper consultation.

Public Works Portfolio Committee Chair, Ms Thandi Tobias-Pokolo, said that the Committee hoped that the Bill would be reintroduced in the next Parliament.

She said the decision was reached after consultation with various stakeholders both within and outside Parliament and in the interest of broader consultation and effective public participation.

Advice sought by the Portfolio Committee indicated that more time was needed to ensure that a wide variety of stakeholders had been consulted and that public participation may have been insufficient to see the Bill through.

The Expropriation Bill was designed as an integral part of the state mechanism in the execution of land reform and the delivery of essential services. The Constitution prescribes as invalid any law that is inconsistent with it, as the 1975 Expropriation Act was. The Expropriation Bill of 2008 was meant to align the 1975 Expropriation Act with the Constitution.

Statement issued by Parliament on behalf of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works August 26 2008