Cosatu welcomes ANC land policy
Trade Union Federation Cosatu welcomes the policy decision by the African National Congress (ANC) to expropriate land without compensation.
The ruling party announced on Wednesday evening that its committee on economic transformation has agreed to amend the Constitution with condition that it's sustainable and do not have a negative impact on food sustainability or other sectors of the economy.
Cosastu spokesperson, Sizwe Pamla, says the conversation around to land reform has thusfar stopped with those who already have the land.
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Pamla says the policy was deemed unnecessary until everyone realised that people with the land are not willing to be constructive partners in the process of land reform.
He says Cosatu cannot let the majority of South Africans live in poverty "while people, who acquired the land under dubious circumstances, are thriving".
However, Pamla says everything needs to be done within the boundaries of the law, while prioritising food security.
"We don't want to find ourselves in a situation where we take a populist decision that will take our people deeper and deeper into poverty," he says.
Pamla says the status quo is not sustainable and all political parties should work together to amend the constitution so that it allows for pressure to be put on land owners to give back the land.