Sona reply
State is not racist in seeking to address land reform, Jacob Zuma says
Zuma warned that the land reform issue could explode if the government did not address it urgently
President Jacob Zuma says addressing the land reform issue does not mean the government is racist, but is indicative of its desire to work for a "peaceful future". Responding to the debate on his state of the nation address (Sona) on Thursday, Zuma spoke at length about land reform and warned that the issue could explode if the government did not address it urgently. "We will do all we can [to address the land reform issue] … we will not act like other parts of the world … it will be done within the parameters of the law," Zuma said. The government has been hard-pressed to complete the land reform programme, amid concerns by some farmer organisations and opposition parties that it could resort to "Zimbabwe-style land grabs". In 2016, Parliament passed the Expropriation Bill, paving the way for the government to pay for land at a value determined by the valuer-general. The bill allows property, both fixed and movable, to be expropriated for a public interest as well as a public purpo...
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