Thulamane Local Municipality residents in Limpopo have urged the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure to accelerate the process to amend the Expropriation Bill [B23-2020]. The committee began public hearings on the Bill yesterday in the municipality.
The committee kick-started the public hearings on the Bill yesterday in the Limpopo Province’s Thulamane Local Municipality. The main objective of the Bill is to provide for the expropriation of property for a public purpose or in the public interest, and provide for certain instances where expropriation with nil compensation may be appropriate in the public interest.
Traditional leaders and representatives from various civic and political organisations, churches and labour unions spoke with one voice in calling upon the committee to immediately deliberate on discrepancies and make amendments to the Bill.
The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Nolitha Ntobongwana, told residents of Thulamane municipality that this is the third phase in the committee’s work to process the Bill. The first and second phases took place in December 2020 and in February 2021.
Ms Ntobongwana also clarified a misunderstanding when participants in the public hearing repeatedly confused the purpose of the hearings with that of the Ad Hoc Committee to Initiate and Introduce Legislation Amending Section 25 of the Constitution. She said: “We want to affirm our difference here. We are the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure and the public hearings are a platform created for you to express your views on how to amend the existing Expropriation Act 63 of 1975 in order to provide a common framework in line with the Constitution.”
Yesterday’s public hearings at Thulamane Local Municipality’s Thohoyandou Town Hall marked the first of the public hearings planned for Limpopo Province. The second hearing will take place today at Linyenye Community Hall in the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality, while the third will take place tomorrow (Saturday, 10 April) at Lekkerbreek Primary School in the Modimolle Local Municipality. The last hearing will take place on Sunday (11 April) at Jack Bottes Hall in Polokwane Local Municipality. The starting and closing times for all these public hearings will be 10h00 to 13h00.
Manelisi Ntsodo
9 April 2021
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