Expropriation without compensation is opposed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) as well as other parties and organisations.
The DA confirmed in December last year that it would head to court to challenge the report by the Constitutional Review Committee recommending that section 25 of the Constitution should be changed to allow for expropriation without compensation.
Before the report was voted on, the DA said it would vote against it because its recommendation was a foregone conclusion, announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on television, well before the committee had completed its task.
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DA MP Thandeka Mbabama told the National Assembly: “The recommendation of the CRC to amend the Constitution to allow for expropriation without compensation was a foregone conclusion. That is why ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa cynically made a late night announcement on TV in July that the ruling party had decided to go ahead with changing the Constitution to allow for expropriation without compensation. ”
She added: “It is obvious that, from the onset, the integrity of the Joint Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) was compromised by collusion between the wily EFF and the beleaguered ANC.”
Despite the DA’s objections, the National Assembly adopted the report following a majority vote.
The report was supported by 209 MPs and opposed by 91, following robust debate in the House.
(Additional reporting by ANA)
