ANC determined to expropriate land without compensation despite failing to pass Constitution Amendment Bill
25 April 2023
It is worrying that the ANC is determined to bulldoze ‘nil compensation’ into section 12 of the Expropriation Bill. Dates and venues have been announced for public hearings on the bill in Gauteng.
This follows their failure to pass the Constitution 18th Amendment Bill, which sought to amend Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation.
The ruling party refuses to acknowledge how the interference in private property rights will cause massive economic harm. The current bill will deter investment, restrict growth and worsen the unemployment crisis. This will force millions more people into joblessness, poverty, and hunger.
The ANC wrongly frames the bill as a land reform instrument and seeks to lull citizens into believing it is only under very specific circumstances that nil compensation can be offered. All South Africans will find themselves vulnerable to expropriation, for zero or inadequate compensation, by hundreds of cash-strapped municipalities and other organs of state. It is not just land and buildings but also intangible assets that may be expropriated.