DA continues its fight against the Expropriation Bill

17 February 2023

The DA calls on all South Africans to make their voices heard against the ANC and Minister Patricia de Lille's Expropriation Bill by submitting comments on the Bill to expropriationcomments@parliament.gov.za by no later than 6 March 2023.

Following the Bill passing in the National Assembly in September last year, the Bill is now before the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), where the DA intends to continue our opposition to the ANC’s attempt at sneaking expropriation without compensation through the backdoor inside of ordinary legislation.

It is evident, that the ANC intends to use the Bill as an electioneering tool ahead of the 2024 elections, rather than ensuring that the Bill replaces, in an effective and constitutionally compliant manner, South Africa’s outdated expropriation framework dating back to 1975.

We remain deeply concerned with clause 12(3) of the Bill which provides for circumstances where it may be just and equitable for nil compensation to be paid, when land is expropriated in the public interest.

Of further concern is the definition of property. As the Bill currently stands, it includes intellectual property and moveable assets. The DA is of the view that expropriation should be limited to immovable property only.

The DA has already taken firm action against the Bill in the National Assembly, where the party tabled critical amendments that would have removed all instances where the nil compensation provisions would have affected private property – however the ANC refused to support these amendments. We will now continue our fight against this flawed legislation inside the NCOP.

Issued by Tim Brauteseth, NCOP Spokesperson for Public Works and Infrastructure, 17 February 2023