S. African president reaffirms commitment to land expropriation without compensation

CAPE TOWN, April 27 (Xinhua) -- President Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed on Friday that South Africa will accelerate land expropriation without compensation "where it is necessary and justified."

"Economic freedom means that the land that was taken from black South Africans needs to be returned," Ramaphosa told a crowd in Bloemfontein, Free State Province at an event marking the Freedom Day, which falls on April 27.

South Africa is committed to accelerating the redistribution of land, both in urban and rural areas, to ensure that poor South Africans are able to own land and have the means to work it, the president said.

Expropriation without compensation will be one of the measures to be used, he said.

"We call on all South Africans to be part of the broad process of consultation on how we should implement this decision in a way that makes redistribution meaningful and which contributes to a stronger economy, greater agricultural production and improved food security," Ramaphosa said.

This is a measure that aims to extend property rights to all South Africans, he emphasized.

In his first State of Nation Address in February, Ramaphosa made a commitment that the government would continue the land reform program that entails expropriation of land without compensation, making use of all mechanisms at the disposal of the state.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) made a resolution at its 54th National Conference late last year to pursue expropriation of land without compensation as a matter of urgency.

South Africa's Parliament has begun the process to review Section 25 of the Constitution and other clauses where necessary to sufficiently cater for the principle of land expropriation without compensation.

The Constitutional Review Committee of Parliament has been directed to prioritize this issue and report back to Parliament by August 30 this year.

The government has assured that land expropriation without compensation should be pursued without destabilizing the agricultural sector, endangering food security in the country, or undermining economic growth and job creation.

Since taking power in 1994, the ANC has made land redistribution from whites to blacks without compensation one of its main policies.

But land remains predominantly in white hands more than two decades after the end of apartheid, sparking growing discontent among South African blacks.

However, opponents argue that land expropriation without compensation will drive away white farmers, kill jobs and threaten food security. Enditem