Mbeki passes land expropriation bill

Financial Times ^ | 1/30/04 | Nicol Degli Innocenti

[Valin]

Thabo Mbeki, South African president, has signed into law a controversial bill that gives the minister of agriculture the power to expropriate land for restitution purposes without a court order or the farmer's agreement. Some commercial farmers have slammed the new Restitution of Land Rights Amendment Act as a violation of property rights and the prelude to a Zimbabwe-style land grab. But the government insists the Act will speed up the restitution process, thereby preventing the kind of land invasions and lawlessness witnessed under Robert Mugabe's regime.

"The Act does not give the minister the power to expropriate land in an arbitrary manner," Pretoria's chief land claims commission said in a statement on Friday. "No person, group or institution including an organ of the state will be allowed to deprive landowners of land in an arbitrary manner."

The Act applies only to land from which blacks were forcibly removed under the colonial and apartheid regimes, and the minister will only use her power to expropriate land in cases when farmers are "unreasonably opposed" to selling or when negotiations have dragged on for too long. The expropriated farmer will always be given "just and equitable" compensation.

South Africa has until now had a strict "willing seller, willing buyer" policy which has slowed down the land restitution process, government says. Over 45,000 out of 70,000 urban and rural land claims have been settled, but the government is determined to settle the rest within two years.

Nearly 10 years after the end of apartheid, less than 3 per cent of farmland has been transferred to black owners. Government's initial deadline of 2005 for the transfer of 30 per cent of white-owned land to black farmers has been extended to 2015.

In stark contrast to South Africa, Zimbabwe this week passed an amendment to its expropriation law, which removes the need for a preliminary notice of acquisition to be served on the land owner, effectively making it easier for government to confiscate land, including farms, sugar plantations, forests and wildlife sanctuaries.

[cyborg]

Well isn't this special?

[Guillermo]

Mbeki will now joing Mugabe and Castro as darling of the International Left.

[NormsRevenge]

wow... thanks for the post.

[CFC__VRWC]

The expropriated farmer will always be given "just and equitable" compensation.

IOW, "Give up all your property , and maybe we won't shoot you in the head."

[Valin]

IOW, "Give up all your property , and maybe we won't shoot you in the head...today"

[DeepDish]

If I was in international banking, I'd bee edging toward the door. Only a fool lends money on stolen collaterral.

[claudiustg]

The SA government's claims would be easier to swallow if Mbeki had taken any meaningful action against Mugabe.

[Valin]

Someone needs to point out the rule of holes to Mr. Mbeki.
If you find yourself in a hole the first thing you need to do is STOP DIGGING.

[AUH2OY2K]

Zimbabwe formerly known as Rhodesia, was the bread basket of Africa. Until, that is, the colonialists ceded power. Kenya had a relatively high standard of living. For "black" South Africans, the standard of living has fallen with the end of colonialist rule. Let the pan-africanist take over the "white" farms. Watch the quality of life plummet. The pan-africanists will undoubtedly blame "whites" who will, out of baseless guilt pay dearly.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

SA will soon be down the road of the once former SR, good bye. It is sad to see the sowers of the wind who will now reap the whirl wind.

[backhoe]

-South Africa - The sellout of a nation-- -Cry, the Beloved Country-- -Robert Mugabe and the Struggle for Power-- -A Capsule History of Southern Africa-- -Rhetoric of blame is now a white lie-- -First it was Rhodesia then SA now America paying the price of silence-- -Pity About Africa...-- -Parallels between Apartheid SA and USA-- -Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight--

-South Africa - The sellout of a nation-- -Cry, the Beloved Country-- -Robert Mugabe and the Struggle for Power-- -A Capsule History of Southern Africa-- -Rhetoric of blame is now a white lie-- -First it was Rhodesia then SA now America paying the price of silence-- -Pity About Africa...-- -Parallels between Apartheid SA and USA-- -Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight--

[jocon307]

"For "black" South Africans, the standard of living has fallen with the end of colonialist rule"

Yes, I think it is over for them. All of Africa will now sink back into primitive chaos.

However, we in the West may be joining them soon, if we are unwilling to defend our culture against the Islamos and the left, not to mention the influx of illegal criminals and Bush's desired new serf class.

We always knew the left wanted to destroy everything. The next few decades will be crucial, it could go either way.