Agri SA cautions Ad Hoc Committee on amending section 25 of the Constitution
7 November 2019
On 6 November 2019, Agri SA attended a constitutional dialogue on land ownership hosted by the Ad Hoc Committee in Parliament tasked with initiating legislation to amend the property clause. Agri SA and several other organisations and experts were invited. Annelize Crosby, head of Agri SA’s centre of excellence on land and SK Makinana, board member of Agri SA, attended the session.
A detailed agenda was not provided and there were lengthy debates on the purpose of the meeting. Whilst some members of Parliament held the view that the committee had a clear mandate to focus only on the amendment of section 25, Agri SA maintained that it’s only mandate was to reject any amendment to section 25.
Agri SA shared the following views on any proposed amendment to section 25 of the Constitution with the committee:
- Section 25 is not an impediment to land reform - amending the property clause will not result in sustainable land reform.