LAND REFORM
It's a crime to leave vast tracts of land unused, says ANC's Jessie Duarte
The government has spent more than R50bn on land redistribution‚ but most of the land is 'not productive'
ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte said on Wednesday that it was criminal that so much land has been left unused in SA. According to Duarte‚ it is concerning that the government has spent more than R50bn on land redistribution since the dawn of democracy‚ but most of the land is "not productive or sold back to established business". She also expressed concern that "30-million hectares" of land owned by the state was "not optimally used". Duarte said she had recently had the privilege of flying over the Eastern Cape‚ where she noticed large parts of land area white elephant and this "is criminal‚ it is a crime ... The land belongs to the people". Duarte said the ANC will forge ahead with the expropriation of land without compensation to address the historical injustices that had led to 80% of land in the country being in the hands of white people. She said expropriated land would not only be for farming purposes‚ but also for industrial development and property ownership.
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