Property players worried as Malema renews call for Land Expropriation

Speaking at the launch of the EFF’s elections manifesto, party leader Julius Malema said: “We are going to amend section 25 of the Constitution to allow expropriation of land without compensation. We won’t pay them"

South African property players are taking a cautious approach as Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema renews his call for land expropriation without compensation.

There is a lot of confusion around the land issue. Expropriation without compensation requires the amendment of section 25 of the South African constitution.

The proposed amendment refers not to land alone, but to all property. It acknowledges that redistributive measures will feature strongly in state policy and allows for this, for both a "public purpose" and "in the public interest”.

With the thorny issue now in the national headlines, South African Property Owners Association (Sapoa) which represents commercial and industrial property owners, raised concerns over policy in relation to food security, agricultural production and the economy. But the governing party, ANC has come out saying ‘there is no need to panic’.

The historical background of land ownership in South Africa needs to be addressed, but it is critical to ensure that the imbalance is dealt with while the economic stability of the country continues to be reinforced. This is the view expressed by Sapoa.

“Sapoa supports a land expropriation process where the rights of present and future landowners are balanced, with the need to ensure stability and economic growth” says Neil Gopal, Chief Executive Officer of SAPOA.

Speaking at the launch of the EFF’s 168-page elections manifesto at the Giant Stadium in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria on Saturday, party leader Julius Malema said: “The land is coming back to our people whether they like it or not.

“We are going to amend section 25 of the Constitution to allow expropriation of land without compensation. We won’t pay them. They took our land by force, they killed our people, they raped our people, they stole the land. We cannot reward murders.

“We want our land back, that issue is non-negotiable. The land must be owned by the state. There will be land council, that land council is where you will go and ask for land and you explain what you want to do with the land,” he said.

A number of Pan Africanist Congress of Azania supporters were also in the 18 000-seat stadium, which was filled to capacity with some people standing on the grass.

Malema promised that under EFF leadership builders would earn R7 000, petrol attendants R6 500, cleaners R4 500, domestic workers R5 000, security guards R7 500, and waiters and waitresses would earn R4 500.

Education would be free and compulsory. “You will be forced to go to school. We will take you there by force. If we find that you don’t go to school we will put you in a police van and we take you there by force,” Malema said.

While the EFF promised to fight poverty and unemployment, the manifesto did not give a clear indication of how many people would be employed, but the party promised that it would lead a massive and protected sustainable industrial development and diversification programme to create millions of jobs between 2019 and 2024