Representatives of the civil rights organisation AfriForum attended the public hearing on amendments to Schedule 25 of the Constitution in Concordia on 25 October. James Stone, AfriForum’s vice-chairman of the Springbok-branch, spoke at the hearing. AfriForum emphasised that the ANC pursuit of expropriation without compensation is nothing but a political game.
Werner Strauss, AfriForum’s district coordinator for the Kalahari, attended the hearing in Upington on 24 October. Strauss did not address the hearing due to EFF members that caused a confrontation at the entrance of the building. This made entering the building very difficult.
Numerous examples were cited of corruption that hamper land reform efforts, especially the fact that only 6,3% of land bought by the state have since been transferred to private ownership. Moreover, more than 90% of people who submitted land claims indicated that they were not interested in owing agricultural land and would rather receive money as compensation. Government also admitted itself that more than 90% of farms which were awarded to black South Africans have failed and quickly turned into subsistence farming or squatters’ settlements.
AfriForum is of the opinion that the “hunger for land” is mostly a myth, especially regarding the demand for rural land to become farmers, because around 82% of land claims are for suburban rather than rural land.
“Government’s power games regarding land cannot by accepted without further ado, as it is to the detriment of everyone on the country. Property rights are instrumental in creating a prosperous society and AfriForum will therefore continue fighting this destructive policy,” James Stone concludes.