SA won’t follow Zim down land reform road, says Duarte

The ANC on Friday reiterated its support for land expropriation without compensation, coming on the back of a successful Parliamentary motion on Tuesday to review the property clause in the Constitution.

However, ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule told a media briefing at Luthuli House, the “land reform programme must be executed in an orderly manner”. He said that illegal occupations were not allowed.

Magashule’s deputy, Jessie Duarte, said that it was “absolute nonsense” to say that South Africa was going the route of Zimbabwe on managing land reform.

Duarte said “the question of land distribution cannot be left to the ANC alone and all citizens should play a role”.

The land debate is set to become a key campaign issue in the upcoming general elections next year.

The majority of opposition parties backed the motion on land expropriation without compensation – which was sponsored by the Economic Freedom Fighters – except for the Democratic Alliance, Freedom Front Plus, African Christian Democratic Party and Cope.

The ANC amended the motion and also supported it, followed by the Inkatha Freedom Party, United Democratic Movement, National Freedom Party, Agang, African Independent Congress and the African People’s Convention.

An emboldened Magashule said on Friday that the results of Wednesday’s byelections in Gauteng and North West, where the ANC increased its majority compared to 2014, was a reaffirmation of “our people’s confidence in the ANC”.

ANC head of campaigns Fikile Mbalula said that the success of this week’s motion was “a victory for the people of South Africa”.

Mbalula said: “Radical economic transformation means, among others, speeding up land reform”.

“We are going to implement land expropriation within the context of the constitutional review,” he said.

The party’s deputy head of organising, Dakota Legoete, said the ANC was “looking to renew, be better and reconnect with the people”.

“So we are going to humble ourselves so we can bring the ANC to its former glory,” Legoete said.

	Setumo Stone Political journalist City Press p: +27 11 713 9001 w: www.citypress.co.za  e: setumo.stone@citypress.co.za
Sign up for City Press' morning newsletter On a Point of Order here