Mayor welcomes land expropriation public hearings
Gumede warned that those acting outside the law and capitalising on the process would not be tolerated.
EThekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede is encouraging citizens to participate in public hearings on land expropriation without compensation.
This comes after the Joint Constitutional Review Committee extended the deadline for written submissions on the issue to 15 June 2018. Gumede said the committee had also resolved to conduct public hearings from 26 June to 6 August in all provinces around the country.
Provinces with large rural areas will have four days set aside for the hearings while other provinces will have three days of public hearings.
According to Gumede, the co-chairperson of the committee, Lewis Nzimande, said at least one of these days would be over a weekend to allow the working public the opportunity to participate in the process. Mayor Gumede said it was encouraging that the Committee has received more than 100 000 written submissions.
“I encourage communities to participate in all the sittings. Our City Manager Sipho Nzuza must advise us on whether we should go and make a presentation on the proposed amendment to add comment from our position as local government.”
She said the City currently faced a shortage of burial space and believed the proposed amendment would provide a solution.
“I am hopeful that we will set up a team to provide technical advice on the approach regarding this Constitutional amendment process.”
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Gumede warned that those acting outside the law and capitalising on the process would not be tolerated saying, “no one should take claim of land without following proper processes.”
She condemned acts by other political parties who were taking advantage of the situation.
“In South Africa we follow proper processes and it should be no different regarding land expropriation without compensation. People cannot just do as they please and act outside the law. Security agencies must take action against those who break the law.”
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