Section 25
WC govt: Land expropriation without compensation unlikely to improve lives
The provincial government has made submissions to a parliamentary committee tasked with amending the Constitution to explicitly allow such expropriation.
The ad hoc committee's deadline to come up with a report on the amendment to be submitted to Parliament lapsed on Monday.
The amending of the Constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation continues to divide parties who have resorted to bilateral talks. However, these too have not yielded any results.
The ad hoc committee to initiate and introduce legislation amending Section 25 of the Constitution has met on Friday and will now draft the long-awaited constitutional amendment.
For a second day, a parliamentary committee will hear from individuals and organisations who had indicated in their written submissions that they wished to make further oral presentations.
The committee met for the first time since its reestablishment to discuss its programme for public hearings which start in October.
The ad hoc committee to initiate and introduce legislation amending Section 25 of the Constitution extended the period for submissions last month.
The amendment bill makes the expropriation of land without compensation more explicit and comes about a year after the National Assembly agreed that the Constitution can be changed.
The ad hoc committee has received a briefing from Parliament’s lawyers on the process to be followed.
Parliament is expected to debate and adopt the committee’s report at the end of November, but that’s just the start of a lengthy process to amend the Constitution.
The Parliament’s constitutional review committee was asked in March to consult the public on the possible amendment to allow for land expropriation without compensation.
The committee is expected to give a recommendation whether to amend Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation.