South African social media users have expressed concern about a controversial new bill signed into law by their president that allows the government the power to confiscate land deemed to be in the “public interest”.
President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday signed the Expropriation Bill, which replaces the pre-democratic Expropriation Act of 1975, and which is intended to assist “all organs of State – local, national and provincial authorities – to expropriate land in the public interest for varied reasons”.
The South African state has long had the ability to expropriate land, but the purpose of the current bill is to bring expropriation legislation into line with the nation’s constitution.
Section 25 of that document states that the public interest “includes the nation’s commitment to land reform, and to reforms to bring about equitable access to all South Africa’s natural resources”.
It also says that property is “not limited to land”.
In a press release, President Ramaphosa’s office explained that an expropriating authority “may not expropriate property arbitrarily or for a purpose other than a public purpose or in the public interest”.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) welcomed the development as a “progressive and transformative tool to advance land reform in ways that enable inclusive economic growth and social cohesion”.
“This momentous achievement reinforces the ANC’s dedication to addressing the persistent legacy of colonial dispossession and apartheid spatial planning, ensuring that the land and resources of South Africa are used to benefit that majority of its people,” the ANC said in a statement.
While the president’s office has acknowledged the constitutional provision that expropriation must be accompanied by “just and equitable compensation being paid,” critics of the move say that with the signing of the bill, the Government of National Unity (GNU) has “declared war on private property owners in South Africa”.
Ernst van Zyl of Afrikaner advocacy group AfriForum (Conscious Caracel on X) wrote on X that the organisation “vows to launch substantial legal action to protect property owners in the event that they are targeted by the government for expropriation without compensation”.
Similarly, Ernst Roets of the Afrikaner Foundation accused President Ramaphosa on X of seeking “the power to confiscate private property without compensation”.
“The president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, has signed the Expropriation Bill in an attempt to make it a law in South Africa. Now as you probably know, in South Africa there has been this raging debate about expropriation without compensation for a few years now, but especially since 2018 when the government took a decision that they want to change the South African constitution to empower the state to expropriate, or confiscate we could just as well say, private property without compensation.”
“In other words, taking people’s stuff without giving them anything in return,” Mr Roets said in a video he posted online today.
Prominent South African accounts have heralded the bill’s passing as ushering in communism, with musician David Scott – better known as ‘The Kiffness’ – stating that “After 30 years of democracy, @CyrilRamaphosa is set on turning South Africa into a 3rd world communist hell hole”.
South African security specialist ‘k9_reaper’ wrote that communism in South Africa is “loading” and encouraged his South African followers to “consider arming yourself legally”.