Ramaphosa says SA won't witness forced removals again as laws have been put in place
Ramaphosa adds the process of restitution and redress is not complete and much more needs to be done to heal the divisions of the past and continue transformation.
President Cyril Ramaphosa replied to the debate on his State of the Nation Address. The reply follows a two-day debate on the address by Members of Parliament and takes place during the joint sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. Picture: Phando Jikelo / RSA Parliament.
CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country will never witness forced removals again because it has laws in place to prevent the arbitrary seizing of land or property.
Ramaphosa adds the process of restitution and redress is not complete and much more needs to be done to heal the divisions of the past and continue transformation.
Ramaphosa was responding to two days of debate into his State of the Nation Address (SONA) -- where parties raised several issues and concerns around land and expropriation.
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Ramaphosa said the land question and forced removal from the land was the original sin of the apartheid regime.
He used District Six, just a few kilometres from Parliament, as an example.
"In 1968 the apartheid regime began demolitions District Six to make way for a whites-only suburb."
He told the joint sitting that it’s because of this history that the country will never return to removing people by force from their properties, whether it's for a public purpose.
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Ramaphosa was making reference to false claims of “land grabs” by some including the United States.
"That is why we will never allow forced removals again in this country. And that’s why we have a constitution that prohibits the arbitrary deprivation of property."
Ramaphosa also touched on global affairs saying South Africa is facing a “harsh global wind” adding that this is not the time for any of us to rush to foreign lands to discuss South African internal affairs.