Lungisa, Zikalala face off at NGC over land expropriation policy

Tensions ran high at the ANC national general council (NGC) as debates over the future of South Africa's land reform programme once again exposed deep ideological rifts within the governing party under President Cyril Ramaphosa.

- By Queenin Masuabi and Mawande AmaShabalala

Sihle Zikalala

The land question, long regarded as a fundamental pillar of the ANC's mission to redress apartheid-era dispossession, returned to centre stage when national executive committee (NEC) member Andile Lungisa challenged the party's approach to land expropriation.

Lungisa took aim at what he described as a dilution of the ANC's original land expropriation resolution.

He argued that the party should revive its attempt to amend Section 25 of the constitution to allow for explicit expropriation without compensation.

According to those present at the NGC economic transformation commission session, Lungisa insisted that the ANC's adopted resolutions would achieve better and quicker outcomes than existing legislation and should be implemented as originally conceived.

Lungisa's call was met with fierce resistance from fellow NEC member Sihle Zikalala, who defended the government's current land restitution and redistribution programmes.