Deputy President Paul Mashatile has reaffirmed the African National Congress's support for expropriating land without compensation. This stance persists despite the party's failure to secure a constitutional amendment. Mashatile shared these views while responding to questions in the National Assembly.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile addressed the African National Congress (ANC)'s position on land policy during oral questions in the National Assembly. He emphasized that the party remains committed to expropriation of land without compensation, even after failing to achieve the required two-thirds majority to amend the constitution.
In 2021, the Section 25 Ad-Hoc Committee voted against the proposed amendment to Section 25 of the constitution, which would have enabled such expropriations. Despite this setback, Mashatile noted that the ANC has not deviated from its policy. He explained the shift to alternative strategies due to challenges in gaining support from other parties in Parliament.
Mashatile stated: “The ANC is pro to expropriation of land without compensation. We have never deviated from but I said it was clear when we came to Parliament it was clear that engaging with other parties we were not able to go that route and therefore introduce another approach which off course honourable Molefe was saying earlier that it’s a sell-out position. But its working because we are saying there will be instances where land can be expropriated with nil compensation particularly for land that we require for public purpose to build schools and clinics but we are giving people farms as we speak.”
This approach allows for nil compensation in specific cases, such as acquiring land for public purposes like schools and clinics. The ANC continues to distribute farms under current mechanisms, highlighting ongoing efforts toward land reform amid political debates.