MARK OPPENHEIMER: Six myths about the land question that must be exposed
'Before altering the Bill of Rights we should do some myth-busting'
Parliament plans to change the property clause in our constitution to allow the state to expropriate land without compensation. The government claims that expropriation without compensation is necessary to restore land that was stolen during apartheid, to redistribute land so that home ownership matches racial demographics and to appease an electorate that is crying out for land.President Cyril Ramaphosa claims that this policy will not hurt the economy, and that it will bring more people into the fold by helping beneficiaries to become farmers. But before altering the Bill of Rights we should do some myth-busting. 1. Land has not been given back to its rightful owners South Africa has a dark history of land theft. Justice requires that the wrongs of the past are addressed by awarding compensation to the victims of land dispossession. According to the Institute of Race Relations, over the past 23 years the Land Claims Court has resolved more than 95% of the claims that have arisen. ...
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