"More than two years ago, Parliament passed a motion to establish the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) to look into amending the Constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation.
Public input was invited, and over 600 000 written submissions were received, with two-thirds being against any constitutional amendment. But the tone of engagements at the hearings was very different, with the vast majority of participants, mostly black South Africans, being strongly in favour of it.
The debate came down to a proxy debate about the legitimacy of our economic system and the existing property rights dispensation.
Political theatre
Political theatre describes the disjunction between the way things are talked about and realities on the ground. Parliamentary debates of the past two years have made it sound as if the state has been trying since 1996 to expropriate properties, but has been prevented by the courts from paying little or no compensation. Political theatre also suggests that the theatrical effect has become the prime objective.
EXPROPRIATION WITHOUT COMPENSATION
This story is from the March 27, 2020 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
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This story is from the March 27, 2020 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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