Ramaphosa admits land reform not moving fast enough, wants process hastened

CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged the slow pace of land reform and wants the process to be hastened.

Ramphosa told MPs that South Africa remains a highly unequal country, despite the progress made in some sectors of the economy.

The president was responding to oral questions in the National Assembly on Tuesday on a range of issues on the economy and foreign policy.

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President Ramaphosa said that land reform was an issue that was "top of mind" in the seventh administration.

He said the administration was working on this through different initiatives, but things were not moving fast enough.

"I will admit that we’ve been slow. We’ve not been as fast as we’ve ought to have been but at the same time, a number of agricultural economists do testify to the fact that progress is being made."

Ramaphosa said the Expropriation Act was another way to address land reform and not just amending section 25 of the Constitution.

"A piece of legislation, the Expropriation Act, is going to give greater muscle, greater ability for us to address the land question."