Last week President Cyril Ramaphosa shocked the nation by announcing two significant policy decisions taken at the ANC’s recent lekgotla. The governing party will seek to amend the constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation, and will introduce a financial stimulus package to create growth and jobs. Politics aside, this is what Ramaphosa should have said instead: "Land reform has to be accelerated to correct the injustices of the past and ensure more equitable land ownership. The ANC’s previous land reform efforts have failed because they’ve been too politicised, too slow and badly run by inept departments. They have also been bedevilled by corruption and elite capture. We acknowledge that the ANC has performed dismally on land reform and because of that people are angry. Politicians are exploiting this anger, even inside the ANC."But don’t be fooled, amending the constitution to allow land expropriation without compensation will not solve poverty. It will not ...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.