South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is currently facing significant backlash following the approval of a law enabling the government to expropriate private land without compensating its owners. This move has captured the attention of US President Donald Trump, who criticizes it as biased against white farmers.
Opposition arises from various centre-right political factions and advocacy groups, which plan to contest the Expropriation Act in court, arguing that it jeopardizes property rights.
While the Ramaphosa administration asserts that most cases will still involve compensation, the goal is to enhance black land ownership. Currently, a large percentage of farmland is owned by white individuals. Historical context reveals that post-apartheid promises to rectify these inequalities through a willing-buyer, willing-seller framework have been deemed insufficiently swift and excessively costly by critics.
Legal experts indicate that the law primarily targets land necessary for public interests, including agricultural land, with predictions that landowners could still receive compensation for structures and natural resources on their property. However, compensation amounts are set to shift from market value to a lesser “just-and-equitable” standard.
This adjustment will also affect land requisitioned for public purposes, a concept not entirely controversial as similar provisions exist in US law. With over 80,000 land claims unresolved, the government aims to facilitate the transfer of land to workers, recognizing that imposing market value would be unjust given historical injustices.
Source: www.bbc.com
