Former defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota’s controversial and misguided stance on land expropriation without compensation may not help the dwindling fortunes of the Congress of the People in next year’s election — although one must guard against one’s judgment being warped by emotions and calls for vengeance. The land may not have been stolen or acquired for free, as he says, but it could not have been acquired legitimately under the circumstances. The UN declared apartheid a crime against humanity, a ferocious and racist system that not only oppressed and denied Africans land ownership through its draconian laws, but destroyed African families through forced removals and the migrant labour system. There was an intentional, systematic and malicious takeover of property and wealth that makes ordinary theft seem a lesser crime. Of course a meticulous approach is needed to address the land question and economic imbalances, but ill-gotten gains cannot be condoned. These issues are a tickin...
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