LETTER: Little satisfaction on land issue
It is premature to argue that a blanket taking of land is off the table
Your January 31 cover promises to explain "How land expropriation could work in SA … without destroying the economy" — such expropriation being of the uncompensated kind (EWC). It fails in this. What seems to be argued is that EWC could expedite land reform. The ANC appears to support private ownership, so EWC could enable inclusive growth, expanding both property ownership and property rights. There is scant evidence to support this. Little has been done to extend private property rights to those who have long occupied particular holdings, such as on land under the authority of traditional leaders. And in recent years, government policy on land redistribution has eschewed private ownership, retaining land acquired as state property. It is premature to argue that a blanket taking of land is off the table. Numerous figures within the ANC have endorsed it, and it was among the recommendations of the government’s land audit. Indeed, as my colleague Anthea Jeffery has argued, the Exprop...
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