Land is not simply for the taking – Agri SA Politics Web - Thea Liebenberg
Deputy Minister Mcebisi Skwatsha reportedly said yesterday during a meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Rural Development and Land Reform that the ANC would hold a conference in March to discuss expropriation without compensation and that the decision would afterwards be implemented by all relevant state departments. He was cited as saying that the ANC would determine whose land to take and how it would be done. However, Mr Ernest Pringle, chair of Agri SA’s land centre of excellence, said land would not be simply for the taking. This was also not a decision that the ANC can take unilaterally and simply start implementing.
No expropriation without compensation can take place unless the Constitution is amended, said Pringle. This will be a time-consuming process during which wide consultation must take place and which would require the necessary majority of votes in Parliament in favour thereof. Private property rights are an internationally recognised principle that is protected by international human rights instruments, such as article 17 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Moreover, the treats of expropriation without compensation is contrary to the policies adopted by vital international agencies such as the World Bank and the IMF. The economic impact of “taking” land will be catastrophic, as already pointed out by various economists. The poor will be affected worst by the outcome of such an irresponsible step, added Pringle.
“This type of statement issued by politicians plays into the hands of opportunists who want to use it as an excuse to invade land. It is extremely dangerous.”
Framework is the Constitution which provides for the protection of property rights, but also mandates certain land reform measures. Three broad programmes of land reform in terms of the Constitution: Restitution; Redistribution; and Tenure Reform. Each of these programmes really need to be examined separately to understand to what extent they have succeeded or failed and why. Twenty three years down the line there is huge frustration about the lack of progress and the extent to which land reform has met peoples’ expectations. Land reform has indeed become a political football and that is very dangerous, for the sector, for the value-chain and for the country. 
Making a living in farming is not easy. For many small scale farmers, commercial farming is hard. For small farmers wanting to make a living in the sector, the challenges can almost seem insurmountable.
