daniel chigunwe
Prof Charles Pfukwa
The historic signing of the Expropriation Bill into law by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is a momentous victory for the people of South Africa and a major step towards correcting deep-seated colonial land injustices that have persisted for centuries.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC), one of the oldest and respected liberation movements in Africa, has finally made a decisive move in redistributing land to its rightful owners, ordinary South Africans who were dispossessed under colonial rule.
Predictably, the passing of this bill has triggered an outcry from opposition parties like the Democratic Alliance (DA) and VF Plus, which have always sought to protect the interests of white monopoly capital.
Their primary concern is not the economic future of South Africa, but rather the preservation of a colonial system that continues to favour a minority elite at the expense of the black majority.
The DA’s outrage over the Expropriation Bill exposes the party’s true agenda: the defence of white privilege and corporate interests.
For years, the DA has masqueraded as a champion of democracy, yet its stance on land reform proves that it is merely a protector of colonial legacies.
How can they argue for ‘democracy’ while rejecting the redistribution of land to its rightful owners?
Their claim that expropriation will ‘collapse’ the economy is nothing more than fear-mongering, reminiscent of the tactics used by Western powers against Zimbabwe’s Land Reform Programme in 2000.
The numbers speak for themselves.
According to a 2017 Land Audit by South Africa’s Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, whites, who make up only nine percent of the population own 72 percent of South Africa’s prime land.
This glaring inequality is a direct result of colonial land theft, which was enforced through brutal apartheid policies yet, the DA continues to defend this status quo under the guise of ‘protecting democracy’.
One of the West’s favourite tactics in discouraging land reform across Africa is pointing to Zimbabwe’s Fast-Track Land Reform Programme as a ‘failure’.
But the reality is far from what the Western media portrays.
The real cause of Zimbabwe’s economic hardships was not land reform, but the illegal sanctions imposed by Western powers to sabotage the country’s efforts at reclaiming its land. If Zimbabwe’s land reform was truly a failure, why did the West feel the need to impose sanctions?
Why did they not simply allow the so-called ‘failure’ to expose itself? The answer is clear: Zimbabwe’s land reform was and is actually working and it posed a direct threat to Western economic control over Africa’s natural resources.
The claim that white commercial farmers ‘rescued’ Zambia and Malawi after relocating from Zimbabwe is another misleading narrative.
If these farmers were as ‘productive’ as claimed, why are Zambia and Malawi also having challenges with food security? The truth is that Africa’s economic success does not depend on white commercial farmers, but rather on empowering local African farmers with resources, skills, and financial support.
The ANC’s bold move should serve as an inspiration for other liberation movements across Africa.
The time has come to fully reclaim the land and resources that were taken under colonial rule. African nations must refuse to be held hostage by Western threats and economic blackmail.
The backlash from the West will be swift and aggressive, just as it was against Zimbabwe.
But this is where unity among African nations becomes crucial. Regional organisations like SADC, the African Union (AU), and BRICS+ must stand firmly behind South Africa and ensure that the land reform process is protected from external interference.
For decades, Africa has been dictated to by former colonial powers that still control vast amounts of its wealth.
The land belongs to the people, and not to foreign corporations, not to former colonial settler.
The ANC has finally come to the party, and it is time for the rest of Africa to do the same. – The Patriot
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