adminStewart Murewa
South African President Jacob Zuma vowed recently in Cape Town at the African National Congress (ANC) rally that he is going to carry out land reform in line with the Constitution. The South African President is taking a leaf from his counterpart President Robert Mugabe, for giving land to the majority.
Zuma described the “willing buyer willing seller” model of land reform as “unsuccessful”. He said expropriation will be on the cards for South Africa this year. Zuma said that the ANC would work for the adoption of the draft Land Expropriation Bill this year. The revised bill that the South African cabinet approved last year allows for the courts to decide on expropriation.
The President said that the land will be returned to the people and the ANC calls on its government to act with necessary speed to put the legislation in place this year. He acknowledged that the land reform has progressed at a slow pace, falling short of expectations of the vast majority.
An exegesis of the current political dispensation shows that the ANC-led government has come under criticism for failing to expedite land redistribution, with only three million hectares having been restored to the poor blacks. A survey carried out showed that the usage of the willing buyer willing seller policy had unsatisfactory results.
It is on record that after the end of apartheid in 1994, the ANC pledged to hand over 30 percent of all agricultural land to the black majority.
But the government failed to meet the target. This is true evidence that Zimbabwe’s stance on giving land to the majority was not wrong after all.
Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), said that land reform, without compensation, is a top priority and he will not disappoint the people whom, during his election campaign, promised to give land.
EFF secured over 6 percent in the national elections and has 25 Members of Parliament which means that they have a voice in the national cake.
Malema wants to implement radical policies such as land reform without compensation. Expropriation of land in South Africa, according to Malema, is to take away white-owned land and give it to blacks. In fact, the whole land reform process is in a complete mess relating to previous expropriation claims.
It should be recognised that anyone who resists the surrender of land will meet the determination of the people. It has been established that in South Africa, at the current rate it would take 300 years to complete redistribution of land.
It is high time to know that land reform was started by the people of Zimbabwe led by President Mugabe.
Online Reporter