Government: AfriForum lying about expropriation list

“There is no such list,” government said on Monday. 

This after AfriForum published a list of farms which it said will be expropriated in order for it to be tested against the Constitution.

It argues that if the Constitutional Court finds that the property clause need not be amended – the 139 farms would set a precedent on whether land could be exploration without compensation.

ALSO READ: Steenhuisen: ANC in panic mode over land

The list allegedly comprises of farmers who denied a just and equitable offer from government for their farm.

Those farmers will allegedly be first in line to lose their land.

But Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has denied these claims.

“The department cannot even begin to expropriate land without compensation because that process is still on in Parliament and the amendment has not been concluded. Therefore, there is no way that the Department of Rural Development will expropriate land without compensation,” says spokesperson Phuti Mabelebele.

Organisations supporting farmers, FF Plus and TLU-SA have now called on Nkoana-Mashabane to release the official list as they believe that farmers are in limbo on whether they should continue to harvest.

ALSO READ: Land expropriation: What it takes to change the Constitution

FF Plus’ Pieter Groenewald claims the so-called list have farmers in hysteria resulting in a threat to food security.

When Mabelebele was asked whether a list exist of property owners that refused compensation from the department, and whether such a list could be construed to hold the farms which will be used as guinea pigs – she said “no".

ALSO READ: Land expropriation: What we know

“We have got list of claims of land that are ongoing, normal processing of such land reform projects are underway and this was being done within the ambits of the currently legislation which talks to just and equitable compensation.”

AfriForum uploaded the video below to their social media.