Government to press on with land reform, says Zuma
Expropriation Bill is going back to Parliament, as it might not pass constitutional muster in its current form
President Jacob Zuma confirmed on Thursday night that the Expropriation Bill would be returned to Parliament for reconsideration on the basis that the proposed law might not pass constitutional muster. Zuma said in his state of the nation address that he had sent the bill back to Parliament due to inadequate public participation during its processing. “We had stated our intention of using the Expropriation Act to pursue land reform and land redistribution, in line with the Constitution…. I have now decided to refer the Bill back to Parliament for reconsideration,” said Zuma. The government is under pressure to complete the land reform programme. In February 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 also allows for expropriation of land for the “public interest”, ending the willing-buyer, willing-seller approach to land reform. The government said this would speed up land ref...
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