EFF and Cope MPs butt heads on ‘racialising’ land expropriation without compensation

An argument ensued between Cope MP Deidre Carter and EFF MP Tebogo Mokwele during oral presentations in parliament on the possible amendment of Section 25 of the constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation.

During a brief break between presentations to the joint constitutional review committee, Carter called on the chairperson of the committee to rein in on racialising the discussions and also the EFF’s use of racial terms during presentations.

“We’ve got to stop the racial issues in this meeting… We’ve taken an oath of office to respect the constitution, but we’ve got members of the EFF here that are going on about the whiteness and the white here and the white that …” Carter said.

This request seemed to irk the EFF’s Mokwele who rebutted by questioning what is wrong with using the term Carter had taken issue with.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong if you say white? What is wrong?” Mokwele questioned Carter.

She continued: “You are white and you have stolen our land, that is a fact. What must I say?”

Following attempts by the committee’s chair to calm the squabble between the two MPs, an official from AgriSA, who had submitted their oral presentations before the brief break, pointed out that while politicians use the land issue as a bone of contention, people of different races continue to work together in the agricultural sector.

“Chair, while the politicians fight, agriculture, black and white, works together,” the official said.

The committee is hearing oral presentations on submissions regarding the possible review of section 25 of the constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation.

This round of public hearings emanates from the written submissions from South Africans received by the deadline of June 15 2018. The hearings will take place from September 4 to 7 2018 at parliament.

The committee said 30 oral submissions will be heard at parliament during the four days set aside for this.

These submissions were made by organisations and individuals from the agricultural sector, academics, civil society organisations and the religious sector.

Submissions on Wednesday included those from AgriSA and the National African Farmers Union of South Africa, among others.

Watch the proceedings below:

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