Shivambu criticises absence of land question in Ramaphosa’s rescue plan

The Economic Freedom Fighters’ second-in-command Floyd Shivambu has criticised the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week, for its failure to make mention of the land question.

Shivambu opened up the Wednesday debate on the plan by saying “rational” and “sober” South Africans agree that the plan “is underwhelming” and will fail to “expand” the country’s economy, to “create the promised jobs” and to deal with the poverty of the “millions of largely black South Africans”.

“If anything, the economic recovery and reconstruction plan will serve to solidify the new colonial character of the economy that continues to be white-dominated, jobless, and the most unequal in the world [and which is] shrinking,” Shivambu said.

The EFF’s second in command said Ramaphosa’s failure to include the “land question” in the plan was perhaps due to the president and the governing ANC’s fear “of the thugs” who violently protested, burning a police van and firing guns inside the court at Matwabeng, which is misnamed Senekal in the Free State”.

“A by the way mentioning of agriculture and aggro-processing outside of the land repossession programme, which this parliament agreed must be expropriated without compensation, is a sign of cowardice typical of the so-called freedom fighters and collaborators who are leading this country today.

“What type of an economic recovery plan omits the land question because land and all that it comes with is the foundation of real economic activity and expansion.

“The people of South Africa must know that any leader who does not recurrently and relentlessly commit to the return of the stolen land is a sell-out and must never be taken seriously,” Shivambu said.

The debate continues, watch live courtesy of the SABC:

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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