Gwede Mantashe, the chairman of the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa's ruling party, has shed light on the plans for land expropriation announced by the government in December and suggested that white farmers' landholdings be limited to 12,000 hectares, while any land over that limit should be handed over to the state without compensation.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2018) Gwede Mantashe, the chairman of the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa's ruling party, has shed light on the plans for land expropriation announced by the government in December and suggested that white farmers' landholdings be limited to 12,000 hectares, while any land over that limit should be handed over to the state without compensation.
"You shouldnt own more than 12 000 hectares of land and therefore if you own more, it should be taken without compensation," Mantashe said in an interview with News24 news portal released on Wednesday.
According to Mantashe's plan, the expropriated territories should be reallocated attaching priority to black farmers who currently work on communal lands.
Mantashe stressed the need to ensure the proper legal tools for such a reform, admitting that such measures were likely to face opposition from white farmers.
"People who are privileged never give away privilege as a matter of a gift, and that is why we say, to give you the tools, revisit the Constitution so that you have a legal tool to do it," Mantashe indicated.
In December, the ANC adopted a resolution providing for the redistribution of lands in favor of black South Africans without compensation. Since then the country's authorities have been engaged in discussions with the aim of deciding on measures to help implement the plan.
