EFF leader Julius Malema. File photo
Two hundred and forty-one (241) parliamentarians voted in favour of a motion on land expropriation without compensation tabled by the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) commander-in-chief, Julius Malema, yesterday.
The Democratic Alliance was opposed to the motion, stating that, among a number of other reasons, investor confidence in the country could be negatively affected, and that it could take more than 30 years for land claims to be finalised, which would not be favourable for claimants.
The motion was also opposed by the Freedom Front Plus, which said the argument that land was stolen from the indigenous people of South Africa was false, cautioning that the implementation of the policy might have unforeseen reactions in the near future.
The Congress of the People added its opposing view to the debate, saying the pursuit for equality should not mean the domination of white people.
The ANC supported the principle of land expropriation without compensation motion tabled by the EFF, differing on “modality”. The ruling made amendments to the motion that were accepted by the EFF.
READ MORE: Parliament votes ‘yes’ on expropriation of land without compensation
The National Freedom Party and the United Democratic Movement also supported the motion.
The historic vote, which set in motion the process of amending the constitution so land can be expropriated without compensation, received mixed reactions from South Africans, with those on Twitter sharing their views using the hashtag #LandExpropriation.
In a video clip shared by a verified ANC Twitter handle, the party’s treasurer-general says the motion would be considered by a Constitutional Review Committee, which would report back to parliament in six months. See the tweet below:
One user noted that redistributed land would not only be used for farming:
For those in favour of the vote, yesterday’s proceedings were a cause for celebration:
However, for some South Africans, the issue is more complex than expropriating without compensation and redistributing land:
Here are more tweets on the #LandExpropriation issue:
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