Property rights under serious threat – FSA

“Property rights are under threat and the government is still steaming ahead on an ideological path, regardless of all the challenges the country is facing.”

Francois Wilken, president of Free State Agriculture (FSA), expressed his organization’s disappointment and concern at the news that the National Assembly (NA) voted in favour of the controversial Expropriation Bill.

“We have been warning for some time that the adoption of this Expropriation Bill in its current form will pave the way for further corruption on a scale that South Africa has not yet seen. Pressure by the government to gain further power to expropriate assets without compensation is going to bring the country even further into trouble, the current electricity crisis as well as the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the Free State, among others, are already substantial challenges that have serious consequences for food security.”

Clauses raised during public participation processes by organized agriculture, opposition parties and civil society are still cause for concern in the problematic provisions of the bill.

According to Gernie Botha, chief executive officer of FSA, the controversy of the bill still lies in the definition of expropriation and furthermore the provisions regarding zero compensation as well as the opportunity for abuse create substantial dangers especially for landowners.