We must repossess the land, committee told
The Constitutional Review Committee tasked with fleshing out the expropriation of land without compensation visited Mpumalanga on Wednesday.
Residents of the province are divided on how land expropriation without compensation should be adopted.
Parliament's constitutional review committee engaged with residents at the Adelaide Tambo Hall in Middelburg.
The views expressed by the ordinary citizens of the country painted a picture of uncertainty and division.
“We cannot expropriate, we repossess. Land is ours. Expropriation means that you take something from its owner – these people do not own the land they took the land by unjust and unfair law,” one Middelburg resident told the hearing.
A Khoisan community member believes the Britain’s Queen Elizabeth should return the land she allegedly owns in the country.
“I don’t have a problem. Section 25 must be changed. There is certain land in South Africa that belongs to the Queen, like Kruger National Park still belongs to her but previously the Khoi and the San use to stay there. This land still belongs to those people.”
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Chairperson Vincent Smith had to intervene after chaos erupted as residents could not swallow the opinions of their counterparts.
Various political parties were also present at the public hearings, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Congress of the People (Cope).
A white man from Middleburg, admitting his privilege at the podium, raised his concerns over the uncertainty the possible change of the Constitution might bring for the country.
“I come from a heritage that so different from the people in my community, and sometimes I don’t know how to approach this but my heart is for these people. I got some fears and concerns about the specific mechanism to speed up land reform. I do believe in land reform I think the past is filled with injustice but there are multiple facets to this.”