Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Dr Annelie Lotriet MP.
The ANC’s ill-advised plan to introduce the Constitution 18th Amendment Bill to amend Section 25 of the Constitution, to allow for expropriation of land without compensation, has failed round one after political parties represented in the Section 25 Ad-Hoc Committee refused to support its proposed amendments.
If the voting that took place in the committee today on the draft Bill is a reflection of how parties will vote in the National Assembly, the ANC will not have the two-thirds majority needed to pass the Bill.
This is an important outcome for our Constitution, the Bill of rights and the fight to protect the property rights of all South Africans. The DA has always argued that this Bill should never have been brought to Parliament as it does nothing to help landless South Africans who have been let down by the ANC’s failing land reform programme.
Although public comments will now be invited for this new ANC draft Bill, the lack of political support on the Bill from parties represented in Parliament means that it will not be passed. The uncertainty brought about by this Bill, borne out of ANC factional fighting at Nasrec in 2017, is about to end with a victory for the Constitution.
The potential collapse of the Section 25 amendment process, while it is a welcome development, will not stop the DA advocating for an accelerated programme of land reform. We will continue to work towards the settlement of all land restitution cases, release of state land for land reform purposes, increased support to farmers and transference of title deeds among other interventions.
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