Land — Mr Ramaphosa must be clear in pronouncements: Be a statesman during ANC celebrations and the visit to Davos — not an ideologist
11 January 2017
Is it really necessary for the newly elected president of the ANC (and possibly future president of South Africa) to be so reckless with statements about land? The statements made in the last days cannot be taken lightly. We urgently need clarity because their implications are enormous.
Demands for free tertiary education have plunged this sector in a crisis and Mr Zuma's announcement has worsened the situation for both students and tertiary institutions in 2018. Equally unqualified and irresponsible statements on land issues will add to the woes of an already uncertain sector.
Expropriation without compensation and the uncertainty brought on by recent pronouncements will set us back to the initial negotiations for a new constitution. Mr Ramaphosa was instrumental in those negotiations and he should remember the spirit and intent of the negotiators and the parties involved. He should therefore be reminded of the basis taken from international examples and internationally recognised principles such as property rights. Rhetoric or unilateral twisted history and ideology are in conflict with these principles.
The country knows that Mr Ramaphosa is caught right in the middle in a party fighting for political survival and being desperate to remain in power. South Africa has been exposed to catastrophic leadership in government for some years now and Mr Ramaphosa could return some measure of balance by exercising responsible leadership. Talks about land expropriation without compensation could have disastrous repercussions. Land ownership has become a smouldering time bomb largely due to a party and government unwilling to listen or accept solutions and meaningful suggestions over many years. Instead, incompetent officials, incapable departments and ministers have allowed the situation to deteriorate. Those responsible are unwilling to acknowledge failures but rather cowardly hide and camouflage such mistakes by means of racially-based accusations used to defend distorted history, false perceptions and untruths. In so doing policy uncertainty has been created and impatience is allowed to fester on both sides. Enough is enough.