Land grab bill iced

 

October 03, 2008

Zululand OBSERVER

	Land grab bill iced Tanya Waterworth THE Zululand agricultural sector has welcomed Parliament's announcement on Monday that the controversial Land Expropriation Bill, proposed by the Department of Works, has been withdrawn. In the draft proposal, the Department of Public Works explained that expropriation in the Constitution can be used in respect of certain broad categories for public purposes and public interests. These include the establishment of roads, nature reserves, for purposes of land reform, cemeteries, for educational purposes, township development, land settlement (restitution) and for security of land tenure. No consultation There was vehement objection from farmers and landowners, who stated there was little or no proper consultation on the process. Representing farming interests across the country, AfriForum had also listed their objections, stating that several of the provisions of the Expropriation Bill were 'unconstitutional'. KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) President, Robin Barnsley, confirmed he was part of the six-man delegation who met with ANC Secretary General, Gwede Mantashe, to address the issue. Back to parliament Barnsley told the Zululand Observer, 'We are very happy that the proposed bill has been withdrawn. 'We met with Mantashe and my understanding is that the expropriation of land will be looked at again by Parliament, and the constitutionality of the issue will be addressed,' said Barnsley. Chairman of the Felixton Cane Growers' Association, Ron Jenkinson also welcomed the announcement and said, 'Kwanalu must be commended as they went flat out against this on behalf of farmers across the province.' Market value Commenting on the withdrawal of the proposed Bill, AfriForum's CEO Kallie Kriel said, 'The retraction of the Expropriation Bill is proof of the power which civil society can exert when its organisations co-operate with each other. 'The Bill's stipulation that the expropriation amount may be less than the market value of the property and that market value will not be the determining factor, would have deterred local as well as international investors had it been implemented.' Time needed The National Assembly's Public Works Committee shelved the draft Bill because of a lack of proper consultation. Committee chairperson Thandi Tobias-Pokolo said the committee hoped the Bill would be reintroduced in the next Parliament. 'Advice sought by the portfolio committee indicated that more time was needed to ensure that a wide variety of stakeholders had been consulted and that public participation may have been insufficient to see the Bill through,' she said.