AfriBusiness: White landowners also have rights
3 April 2017
The business rights watchdog AfriBusiness will approach the Constitutional Court if the Regulation of Agricultural Land Holdings Bill be passed by Parliament. In its current form the Bill will not pass Constitutional muster.
The proposed Bill will not only cause economic havoc in South Africa, but food security in the country will also be compromised. It will affect the property rights of all landowners, regardless of race or ethnicity, in terms of the categories of ceilings which the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform (currently Gugile Nkwinti) may determine.
Furthermore, the Bill is so vague and open for interpretation that it leaves the door wide open for grave injustices to be committed. This is especially worrisome in light of the ANC’s most recent all-out attack on agricultural landowners (in fact, all property owners) by proposing the implementation of ludicrous land reform policies and bills.
“Politicians’ most recent statements in this regard are so worrisome that it is now clear that there is no dispute on the question of expropriation. Government will expropriate; it is now just a matter of when, and whether it will be with or without compensation. Taking these statements and the current increase of unlawful land grabs into account, it is clear that the rights of property owners are being trampled on simply because of the colour of their skin,” says Charles Castle, Manager at AfriBusiness.