The Ephraim Mogale Town Hall in Marble Hall, Limpopo was packed to the rafters as people waited patiently to participate in the Constitutional Review Committee hearings into the possible amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution to enable the state to expropriate land without compensation.
“We expected about 300 participants, but we received over a thousand participants. We are greatly appreciative and encouraged by the massive turnout. It shows that people are keen to participate in this important process,” said Mr Vincent Smith, the Co-Chairperson of the Committee.
Besides the quantity of input from the people present, the committee also appreciated the mature level of debate. “We are heartened by the quality of debate and the level of tolerance to differing views exhibited by participants during the hearings. We hope that this level of tolerance will be replicated over the six-week process,” Mr Smith emphasised.
Mr Vasco Mabunda, for land rights movement Nkunzi Development Association, supported the amendment of section 25 of the Constitution. The association believes the Constitution has stood in the way of a successful land reform process and that land ownership is still unevenly skewed on racial lines.
“We hear people say we have the best Constitution in the world, but it is under the same constitution that we have become the most unequal society in the whole world with the poor getting poorer and the rich getting richer,” Mr Mabunda argued.
For Ms Mogau Mabitsi from Tubatse, it is necessary to expropriate land to ensure that the youth are able to farm. “As the youth, we have the skill set to farm successfully, but the challenge we face is that we don’t have land. I am only requesting Mr Koos that if he has 10 hectares of land please give me five of those hectares so that I become a successful farmer as well,” Ms Mabitsi said.
For Mr Nico Malan, Section 25 should not be amended because the state already has all the instruments it needs to advance land reform. “The problem is not with the Constitution, but with the government failing to implement the current Constitution. There are huge amounts of land in the hands of government, but that land is not being redistributed to the people,” Mr Malan emphasised.
Ms Connie Lempjane does not support amending the section, but called for everyone who owns a piece of land to get the title deeds. “Land redistribution must happen and people must get title deeds, especially those people living on traditional land. We support section 25 of the Constitution, where redistribution will take place fairly among our people, who will have a title deed, one family one title deed,” Ms Lempjane argued.
The delegation will today hold hearings in Mokopane.
Malatswa Molepo
28 June 2018
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