Whites worked and paid for their land

28 February 2017

Rightful land owners worked and paid for their land. They will not apologise for it,” Dr. Pieter Groenewald, Leader of the FF Plus, says.

Dr. Groenewald, today during a motion about the amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution pertaining to land expropriation, said that when the ANC government talks about land and land expropriation without compensation, it does not only refer to farmers and agricultural land, it also affects every owner of land in South Africa, from a farm to a house in a city or town.

He said it is important that all land owners realise that everyone’s property is at stake when expropriation without compensation is mentioned, but that this won’t just happen in South Africa which is a constitutional democracy.

He said it is a pity that white people always have to be made the scapegoat when there is talk of land reform.

“Regarding land ownership, it must be made clear that the rightful owners of land and property in South Africa are those who had worked for it, who paid for it, and who has a title deed in the deeds office.

“Those people are the rightful owners, and it is not possible to merely take their property without compensation. South Africa is a constitutional democracy. A constitutional process has to be followed before anyone’s property can be expropriated.

“The government should just stop blaming whites for everything that goes wrong. In this case, it is the incompetence of the government itself which cannot make any progress with the process.

“More than 5% of all land in the country end up on the open market for sale. Much of it, especially farms as a result of the drought, is available for less than its market value.

“The government is therefore in a very good position to purchase millions of hectares for less than its market value. Why does it not do that? Why the rhetoric that whites are derailing the process?

I am worried that President Jacob Zuma had said that land would be taken without compensation. It appears at least as if his party members are differing from him here in Parliament.

“It has to be emphasised that the rightful owners had worked and paid for their land. And they won’t apologise for it,” Dr. Groenewald said.

Statement issued by Dr. Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus Leader, 28 February 2017