The Ward 104 committee will be hosting a public meeting on the topic of proposed expropriation of land without compensation on 20 June.
“The whole purpose of this meeting is to add another perspective to the debate. It is to show our policy on land reform,” said Ward 104 councillor Mike Wood.
“The government is under pressure to fast-track land reform. It views expropriation without compensation as a way to address imbalances of the past, reduce inequality, and promote land ownership and agricultural sector participation by black people.”
The Democratic Alliance is arguing that other parties want all land to be owned by the state and for people to rent land from the state, which will result in changing the Constitution.
Wood said, “What we are trying to do is show the citizens of our communities that the DA has an alternative to this looming problem that will impact South Africa.”
There is no certainty on which land has been earmarked for purposes of expropriation in the government proposal.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his State of the Nation Address that the expropriation of land without compensation must be done in a manner that does not harm the economy, but the way this will be done is yet to be clarified.
In a press statement, the DA said that it plans to present an alternative strategy to land reform, and ‘will return the land to the people through the biggest land redistribution in South African history’.
The meeting will be chaired by the North West Constituency’s Pat McGee, with special guest speaker, Gwen Ngwenya, who is the head of the DA’s federal policy.
The meeting will take place at 6pm on 20 June at the Fontainebleau Community Church on Rabie Road, Randburg.
Details: Ward 104 councillor Mike Wood 082 853 2174.
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