Deadline extended for Section 25 submissions on land expropriation

The deadline for public input on the process to Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for expropriation of land without compensation has been extended until the end of February. 

Initially, members of the public were to provide their input by no later than this Friday at 4pm. 

Mathole Motshekga of the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee on Section 25 says they decided on the extension as the draft Bill was released over the holiday period when not everyone would have been able to comment. 

"But also, there was no clarity as to what we expected fo people," says Motshekga. 

"People thought we were still asking them whether or not they support the amendment of the Constitution, whereas we wanted them to make proposals on the content of the Bill," he explains. 

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Motshekga says once the public submission period concluded at the end of February, the input received will be consolidated and reviewed by a panel of experts. 

Thereafter, the Committee will embark on public hearings for a month, with Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays being used for these. 

Upon completion of this process, the final public input will be collated and used to update the Bill. 

Motshekga says "any kind of submission" is welcome and will be assessed on its merits and demerits.