Trump 'threats' won’t stop land expropriation - EFF
EFF leader Julius Malema on Monday said US President Donald Trump's threats to stop funding to South Africa will not stop land expropriation.
This comes after Trump on Sunday said the US will cut future funding to South Africa until a full investigation into the country’s land expropriation policies is complete.
The Expropriation Act, signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa last month, authorises the government to expropriate land in the public interest.
The Act gives the green light to the government to expropriate property for “nil” compensation, but only under certain conditions, with the caveat that doing so is clearly “in the public interest” after having negotiated a fair market value price with landowners who have recourse to resist the process in court.
"The statement by Trump is offensive and undermines our sovereignty and is a reminder that our reliance on foreign aid and foreign direct investment surrenders us to the will of imperialists who use the money to dictate the economic and policy direction of Africa,” said Malema.
"We want to make it categorically clear to Trump that we are going to expropriate land without compensation and pursue legislative measures to do so, and no threat will stop us.
"His misinterpretation of the Expropriation Act, which is a mild and cosmetic intervention, is an assessment of a measure that is going to be pursued through the amendment of our constitution, and there is nothing he can do to undermine our independence,” he said.
Meanwhile, the presidency said on Monday that Ramaphosa would engage with the Trump administration over the country’s land reform policy.
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