Agri SA demands immediate retraction of Northern Cape “expropriation list”

15 March 2019

Agri SA demands an immediate retraction of the ANC Northern Cape expropriation list. Agri SA will defend its members in the Northern Cape, as we have done in the Melmoth case in KwaZulu-Natal. President Cyril Ramaphosa and top officials of the ANC have given repeated assurances that productive farms will not be targeted for expropriation without compensation (EWC).  Agri SA has made it clear that it opposes any amendment of section 25 of the Constitution.

“We condemn the actions by the ANC in the Northern Cape in the strongest terms, and we will deal with it with the utmost sense of seriousness,” said Omri van Zyl, Executive Director of Agri SA. “We anticipated irresponsible statements leading up to the elections, but this amounts to cheap political point scoring.”

Agri SA will engage the diplomatic community on the ANC’s turnaround on the stated position of not targeting productive agricultural land. Today Agri SA will brief the Trump Administration by engaging the Deputy Secretary of State of the United States, John J. Sullivan on EWC and the Northern Cape list.

“Agri SA engages with government, the ANC, and all other organisations with the understanding that we all respect due process and the rule of law,” says Dan Kriek, Agri SA President. “We regard the latest statement by the Northern Cape ANC as being in breach of these principles.  We have appealed to the national leadership of the ANC to intervene. We will not hesitate to litigate in order to protect private property rights, which we regard as absolutely critical for economic growth that we sorely need as a country.”

Agri SA hopes the ANC in the Northern Cape will come to their senses and comply with the demand. If not, Agri SA will take the legal route.

Issued by Thea Liebenberg, Media Liaison Officer, Agri SA, 15 March 2019