Ramaphosa quells the land reform fears of rich game farmers

Shortly before leaving the country to attend the Forum on China Africa Trade relations in Beijing, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed 400 of the world’s biggest game buyers who had travelled to Limpopo to spend millions acquiring game.

Ramaphosa was speaking at an auction near Bela Bela organised by a group of six farms collectively known as Stud Game Breeders.

According to a report originally published by Bloomberg, attendees of the auction, some of whom arrived in private jets and helicopters, are among the country’s biggest landholders.

As such, there had reportedly been whispers about a plan to boycott the game being sold by Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala Wildlife farm. Despite this, his farm managed to rake in just under R20m.

One buffalo bull, in particular, fetched a whopping R4.1m.

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This was after the president assured the auction’s attendees that government would implement its land policy responsibly even in the event of expropriation without compensation.

Ramaphosa allegedly stated that his government is considering suggestions which would see unused land taken without compensation, “held purely for speculative reasons and where occupiers have strong historical rights and current owners do not occupy or use it,” explained the report.

He left shortly after speaking to fill a position as Africa’s representative during the trade forum.

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