Land reform
Land reform in 2021: It's time for Parliament to say what it wants
Parliament now has to come up with what it wants in the amendment of land policies.
Another year has come to an end without the controversial policy on land expropriation without compensation being completed.
In his virtual Day of Reconciliation message, the president spoke out against corruption and called on businesses to reflect their support for transformation.
The proposed new law has a long history. The country has been trying for almost 12 years now to come up with expropriation legislation that is in line with the Constitution.
The new initiative reproduces the core weaknesses of post-apartheid state land and agricultural policy. These have done little to improve the livelihoods of the poor.
The law would allow land to be confiscated without compensation if its unused, abandoned, or poses a safety risk.
The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown had halted the process. Its term expired in May before it could complete its mandate.
The committee met for the first time since its reestablishment to discuss its programme for public hearings which start in October.
In the next two weeks, government will issue notices for the leasing of almost 900 state farms measuring about 700,000 hectares.
Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, said in the next two weeks, government would issue advertisement notices of 896 farms totalling 700,000 hectares of under-utilised or vacant state land.
Twenty-six years into democracy following the end of apartheid, land ownership remains a thorny issue in South Africa, which is one of the world’s most unequal countries, according to the World Bank.
The minister held a virtual dialogue on Monday with women in the sector who raised many issues centering around the lack of land.
Parliament has heard submissions from academics, people living on farms as well as organisations representing landless communities on the Upgrading of Land Tenure Rights Amendment Bill.
The comments come amid a parliamentary process which is looking at amending section 25 of the Constitution to allow expropriation without compensation.
The parliamentary committee tasked with amending Section 25 of the supreme law of the land is unable to complete its work in time and is likely to ask for an extension.
Members of Parliament’s committees on agriculture and land reform were informed about the situation during a briefing on Tuesday afternoon.
The former statesman said it's the state of the economy that's keeping him up at night.
The struggle icon and former president of the ANC was reburied in Ngcobo 60 years after his death. Ramaphosa declared the reburial as a special official funeral.
The group brought the Durban city centre to a standstill on Monday as it marched on City Hall to hand over a memorandum of demands to authorities.