We don’t want to expropriate your house, says EFF document

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have allayed fears that land expropriation without compensation will lead to citizens losing their houses or private property if the EFF has its way.

The party has compiled a document answering frequently asked questions on land expropriation without compensation and one of the questions addressed is, “Will people lose houses as a result of expropriation without compensation?”

“No, no one will lose their house as a result of land expropriation without compensation,” the document advises.

“A house consists of immovable property that is a product of an individual’s labour and, therefore, the private property of that individual. The plot on which a house is built is rendered unusable for any other purpose, and because of its attachment to a house, which is immovable property, the plot becomes an accessory to the house and hence the property of the owner.

“What this means is that while homeowners’ rights to their homes are secure, any other piece of land outside the homeowners’ plot is automatically ceded to the state. The state can then directly intervene to declutter townships and ensure a balanced allocation of land for residential purposes, building low-cost housing in areas previously seen as enclaves of whites and the rich,” the document goes on.

Another fear dispelled by the EFF is that land expropriation without compensation will supposedly chase away investors.

“Investors need certainty and security of tenure. State custodianship of land will provide the strongest possible certainty and will ensure that the highest possible security of tenure is provided over the period for which the lease is granted,” the party said.

ALSO READ: EFF meets traditional leaders over land expropriation without compensation

The document provides a definition of the “land question” in South Africa, delves into the history of land dispossession in the country, and the colonial and apartheid laws that allowed for this dispossession, and offers a breakdown of land ownership in the country, among other questions answered.

The party says the table below on state-owned versus privately owned land was taken from the department of rural development and land reform’s land audit report:

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The EFF said that according to the department’s audit, 79% of the land in the country is privately owned, while the state owns 14%, while 7% is unaccounted for.

The party adds that according to the second phase of the department’s audit, which was completed in 2017, 90% of the privately owned land audited belongs to individuals, companies and trusts.

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It says the department’s audit reveals that 72% of the land is owned by white people, 15% by coloured people, and 5% by Indians, with Africans owning just 4% of the land, while 3% is owned by people unidentified by race, while 1% is co-owned.

Meanwhile, the Constitutional Review Committee’s nationwide tour of public hearings on the possible review of section 25 of the constitution to widen the state’s powers to expropriate land without compensation enters its second day today.

A delegation of the committee made its first stop in Springbok, Northern Cape, yesterday, and the chairperson of that team, who is also the co-chairperson of the committee, Lewis Nzimande, said he was pleased with proceedings at the first day of the hearings and the public turnout.

“We have heard the fears and concerns of those members of the public that are against an amendment of section 25 as they feel there [is] existing legislation to deal with land reform. We also heard those fierce supporters of an amendment to the constitution to make expropriation without compensation possible, especially to those who have suffered economically because of [the] historic past,” Nzimande said in a statement.

The hearings for the delegation in the Northern Cape will continue on Thursday in Upington.

The EFF commended the residents of Springbok “for the resounding demand” that the constitution be amended to allow for land expropriation without compensation.

“The people of Namakwa [Region] stood firm even when AfriForum and AgriSA mobilised people from outside the region to come and oppose the expropriation of land without compensation,” the party said in a statement.

ALSO READ: AfriForum makes presentations at first public hearings on land

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EFF president Julius Malema is part of the Constitutional Review Committee holding public hearings in Ephrahim Mogale Local Municipality, Limpopo.

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