Parliament, Saturday 17 April 2021 – The Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure held the second leg of public hearings on the Expropriation Bill in Mpumalanga Province in Mbombela Local Municipality yesterday.
The committee is currently embarking on a four-day public hearings programme in the province’s three districts to get the views of citizens on the draft legislation.
Representatives of political parties, community based organisations, farmers, and representatives from traditional councils were among the participants who expressed different views on the bill at the Mbombela Civic Centre Hall yesterday.
Although the bill received some opposition and support at Mbombela, there were participants who expressed concern over chapter 5 of the draft legislation which mentions compensation for expropriation and they called for that part to be removed from the bill.
There were also participants who told the committee that the bill was not explicit in its definition of the concept of “public purpose and public interest”.
The aim of the Expropriation Bill is to repeal the existing Expropriation Act of 1975 to provide a common framework in line with the Constitution to guide the processes and procedures for the expropriation of property for a public purpose and in the public interests, and to provide for certain instances where expropriation with nil compensation may be appropriate in the public interest.
Committee Chairperson, Ms Nolitha Ntobongwana, said the committee appreciated all the inputs made by the public and will continue listening to more submissions from different parts of the province.
Today the committee will hold the public hearings in the town of Ermelo, in the Msukaligwa Local Municipality in Mpumalanga’s Gert Sibande District.
The public hearings are held under strict Covid-19 guidelines and regulations.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE, MS NOLITHA NTOBONGWANA.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, please contact:
Name: Sakhile Mokoena
Cell: 081 705 2130
Email: smokoena@parliament.gov.za
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