CIVIL SOCIETY WILL CONTINUE OPPOSITION AGAINST CONTROVERSIAL EXPROPRIATION DRAFT BILL

During a strategic workshop of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Defence of Property Rights, held in Pretoria today, this group welcomed the fact that according to all indications, the Expropriation Draft Bill will be withdrawn.

The group however also decided to continue applying pressure to ensure that the Bill will never be implemented in its current format at all and will continue monitoring the situation regarding the Expropriation Bill closely. This committee, comprising a number of political parties, as well as organisations from civil society, today amongst other issues, analysed the current status quo of expropriation legislation in South Africa.

The Ad Hoc Committee recognises the necessity of expropriation for any state and government, but then this should not take place in contravention of the Constitution and other international norms and standards, as the proposed Expropriation Bill would be doing.

By means of correspondence with the Minister of Public Works, the Ad Hoc Committee will also endeavour to establish what this department will be doing regarding this legislation in future, as well as to try and get some assurances regarding property-rights sureties.

Although the Ad Hoc Committee for the Defence of Property Rights has taken note of the withdrawal of the Expropriation Bill, the withdrawal of the legislation alone is not regarded as being sufficient to satisfy this group.

It seems quite sure that the legislation will be submitted to Parliament again in future in an amended format. It is clear that the legislation forms a part of the National Democratic Revolution and that international principles and standards are not a part of this revolution and its underlying principles.

For this reason alone, the Ad Hoc Committee cannot regard its actions as being concluded now. On the contrary, the Expropriation Bill is but an underlying symptom of the broader trend in government policy.

The Ad Hoc Committee will therefore have to work unremittingly in order to oppose this bill, as well as other similar legislation with all our might.

The South African government is busy turning its back on international principles and standards. This simply cannot be allowed to happen at all - the responsibility rests with civil society to do everything possible to prevent this.

The South African civil society, including the business community, will henceforth have to make its united voice heard outside Parliament.

The possibility is not excluded that the Ad Hoc Committee may be transformed into a formal interest group which will manage issue-driven campaigns against the National Democratic Revolution, and for the protection of democratic principles.

* The Interim (Ad Hoc) Committee for the Defence of Property Rights is an informal grouping of organisations and political parties of right across the political and social spectrum, opposed to the Expropriation Bill.

Currently it comprises the following organisations: AfriForum, the Afrikanerbond, Agri SA, TAU SA, the Agricultural Employers Organisation, the Afrikanerfront, the FW de Klerk Foundation, the ATKV, the FAK, the National Taxpayers Union, Regslui vir Afrikaans, the Solidarity Institute of Constitutional and Labour Law Affairs, the ACDP, the DA, the VF+ and most recently also the Gereformeerde Kerke van Suider-Afrika (GKSA). Various other organisations are also busy garnering support for this group.

Statement issued by Solidarity August 25 2008