South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed a bill allowing the state to seize land without compensation, which has put him at odds with some government members.
More than 30 years after the end of apartheid, Black individuals still own only a small portion of farmland nationwide, with the majority remaining in the hands of the white minority.
This has sparked frustration and anger over the sluggish progress of reform.
Ramaphosa’s ANC party celebrated the law as a “major milestone” in the nation’s transformation, but some coalition government members are considering challenging it in court.
The government says the law “outlines how expropriation can be done and on what basis” by the state.
The new legislation permits expropriation without compensation only when deemed “just and equitable and in the public interest.”
This includes scenarios where the property is unused, with no plans for development or profit, or when it poses a danger to the public.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya stated that the state “cannot expropriate property arbitrarily or for purposes outside the public interest.”
“Expropriation can only occur if the expropriating authority has tried to negotiate with the owner,” he added.
The law’s enactment followed a five-year consultative process and insights from a presidential panel that examined the issue.
The pro-business Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in the Government of National Unity (GNU), has expressed “strong opposition” to the law and is consulting its legal team.
The DA supports legislation for land restitution but disputes the parliamentary procedure used to pass this law.
The Freedom Front Plus, advocating for the white minority’s rights within the GNU, pledged to challenge the law’s constitutionality and take “all possible measures” to amend it if deemed unconstitutional.
A significant concern for the party is the potential threat to private ownership.
Outside the coalition, the Economic Freedom Fighters, known for their aggressive stance on nationalization and land redistribution, labeled the legislation a “legislative cop-out” by the ruling party.
