- Paul Mashatile told Parliament the ANC is already expropriating land and may skip compensation when it serves the public good.
- A R30-million Ekurhuleni property is being taken without payment, leading to anger from opposition parties.
Deputy president Paul Mashatile says land expropriation without compensation is no longer just talk – it’s happening.
Speaking in Parliament, Mashatile said the government is already taking land and, when it benefits the public, it won’t always pay.
“Land is being expropriated, and where appropriate… we don’t have to pay,” he said. “Our only challenge is we need to move faster.”
He said the process is moving quicker now under the guidance of Parliament and the Expropriation Act, signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa in January.
The new law has drawn criticism from the United States and local lobby groups like AfriForum and Solidarity, who raised the issue with Donald Trump’s administration earlier this year.
Mashatile said the ANC had wanted to amend Section 25 of the Constitution to allow expropriation without compensation, but when that failed, it found other legal routes.
He said the aim is to fix the injustice of the 1913 Natives Land Act and to make land available not only for farming but also for housing and development.
In Ekurhuleni, a R30-million property near Boksburg is being expropriated without payment – one of the first big test cases.
Freedom Front Plus leader Corne Mulder criticised the move, saying President Ramaphosa had told Trump that no private land was being taken without compensation.
“This incident in Ekurhuleni proves no privately owned land is safe,” said Mulder.
Mashatile said the government would follow the law and continue with redistribution.
“We will provide land. That much we are committed to. And we will not deviate,” he said.
Pictured above: Paul Mashatile.
Image source: File
