Expropriation Act: We don’t take the DA’s threats to leave the GNU lightly, says ANC [VIDEO]

The ANC says it will not be threatened by the DA, as its government of national unity (GNU) partner looks to take its fight over the Expropriation Act to court.

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the controversial piece of legislation into law on Thursday. It allows for land expropriation with no compensation under certain circumstances, including if it’s in the public interest.

Expropriation can only happen if there has been an attempt to negotiate an agreement to acquire the land from the owner.

The signing of the Expropriation Bill into law has drawn fierce debate, with the DA threatening legal action amid suggestions it could leave the GNU over it.

ALSO READ: Expropriation Act: Will it break or make the GNU?

DA threats

Speaking to the media outside of the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Kempton Park, Gauteng, on Saturday, spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said the party would not be swayed.

“There have been instances where the ANC gets threatened by the DA, within the context of the GNU. We don’t take those threats lightly. At the same time, we are very focused on ensuring that we deliver on the expectations of our people, one of which is land redistribution.”

WATCH: Bhengu-Motsiri’s comments on the DA:

[WATCH]
ANC Spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri says the signing of the Expropriation Act followed a thorough and intense consultative process. This process included public consultations and parliamentary deliberations over several years. pic.twitter.com/DQSxW93DwA

— SABC News (@SABCNews) January 25, 2025

She said the Expropriation Bill had undergone a five-year consultation period, including feedback from the DA and other critics.

“This piece of legislation follows a very sustained discussion, a very sustained public participation process driven by Parliament, where a cross-section of sectors contributed to what we now have as the Expropriation Act.

“So you cannot doubt how consultative the process was. The DA was part of that process every step of the way.

“Obviously, nobody can stop anyone from going to court and exercising what they believe is their rights in law, but we are absolutely convinced that this was a ground-breaking signing of legislation by the president.”

ALSO READ: ‘They can take all property’: SA divided over new Expropriation Bill

ActionSA also heading to court?

ActionSA is also looking at possible legal action over the legislation, with spokesperson Matthew George claiming it is another example of the ANC’s “relentless push for destructive policies enabled by the ongoing capitulation of its GNU partners on critical matters that threaten the future of South Africa.”

“From the dangerously flawed National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme to the implementation of the controversial BELA Act, the continued entrenchment of failed BBBEE policies, and the expansion of an already bloated Cabinet, this government has come to represent the continuation of the very misgovernance that has brought South Africa to its knees.”

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