Thursday, 22 September 2005
The SACP welcomes the decisive step taken by the North-West provincial Land Claims Commissioner, Mr Blessing Mphela, on his intention to expropriate the 500ha farm in Leeuwspruit in the North-West province. This action underlines the correctness of the main resolutions of the recently National Land Summit that the ‘willing seller, willing buyerr’ principle constitutes the major impediment to government’s land reform programme. The Summit also came to the conclusion that if land reform is to be accelerated, expropriation is one of the important tools to redress the historical injustice of land dispossession in our country.
As the SACP we regard this case as a very important precedent, as it illustrates the extent to which farmers have overpriced land in our country, either to frustrate accelerated land reform or to become the major beneficiaries of government’s land reform programme at the expense of the landless. The land being expropriated was being sold for R6 million, yet government’s own evaluation, through an independent evaluator, puts the price of that land at only R1, 75 million. As the SACP we further call upon landowners to desist from the practice of inflating land prices, and instead be part of the country’s efforts towards accelerated land and agrarian reform.
However, as the SACP we wish to reiterate our call for the development of a comprehensive land and agrarian transformation strategy to create viable local farming communities throughout the length and breadth of our country, especially targetting the workers and the landless mass of our people. Expropriation, as provided for within the framework of our constitution, is an important tool towards achieving this objective. In particular, a key requirement for accelerated land and agrarian reform is the acquisition of new land. This can only be realised through expropriation and at reasonable prices set by the government.
As the SACP we fully support the actions of Mr Mphela as an important historical step towards the realization of our objective of accelerated land and agrarian reform to benefit the workers and the landless mass of our people. On our part, we will intensify the mobilization of our people to have access to land and agricultural opportunities. Issued by: SACP
Kaizer Mohau
Media Liaison Officer
South African Communist Party (SACP)
Tel: 011 339 3621/2
Fax: 011 339 4244/6880
Cell: 082 805 1085
Eamil: kaizer@sacp.org.za