The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa's "submission to basic logic" following his announcement that the African National Congress (ANC) would support an amendment to the Constitution on land.

Ramaphosa announced late on Tuesday evening that the ANC would support an amendment to section 25 of South Africa's Constitution to "explicitly" expropriate land without compensation.

This followed a two-day ANC national executive committee lekgotla in Irene, Centurion.

"The Economic Freedom Fighters notes that the ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has finally capitulated and submitted to the basic logic of amending section 25 of South Africa's Constitution to allow for expropriation of land without compensation," spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said in a statement.

"This was after months of the ANC's confusing and contradictory statements and assurances to white minority owners and controllers of South Africa's land and economy that no constitutional amendment will be made."

Ndlozi said after its land summit in March, the ANC had "produced an ideologically and politically-confused resolution" that expropriation without compensation could take place as the law currently stood.

He claimed that Parliament's review hearings on the matter and submissions from people on the ground had "exposed" the ANC to the fact that "an absolute majority of black people agree with the EFF's position".

"This illustrates that when given an opportunity, the people of South Africa are always ready to provide resolute guidance on key economic and redress questions."

ANC 'swimming in confusion' on state ownership

Ndlozi also praised his party's role in the proceedings, saying if it weren't for their motion for Parliament to look into the matter, "the ANC elite would still be swimming in the confusion that expropriation without compensation can happen without changing the Constitution".

He said the ANC was still "swimming in confusion" on the issue of state custodianship of the land.

"We, however, believe that like they did with the amendment of the Constitution to allow for expropriation of land without compensation, the ANC will subsequently appreciate the value and unavoidable necessity of having the state as custodian of all South Africa's land."

The EFF was "unashamed" to be at the forefront of the issue, he said.

South Africans should "rest assured that with the EFF at the forefront, all South Africa's land [will] be returned to its rightful owners". He said "the settlers and their descendants" would be allocated land in proportion to their population size in South Africa.

The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has called on all the parties who supported the motion in Parliament to look into the matter to meet ahead of the drafting of the final report from the Joint Constitutional Review Committee.

"Given that we all supported this motion and created a legitimate expectation with the majority of our people that this matter will be put to rest, we have to ensure that we sing from the same hymn book, so that we do not become stuck on the need to change the relevant constitutional provisions on land or finding alternative solutions," UDM president Bantu Holomisa said.

He called for each party to have a delegation of no more than ten members to formulate the draft wording of the amendment before the September 28 deadline to submit the report to the National Assembly.

Earlier on Wednesday, DA leader Mmusi Maimane slammed the ANC for "jumping the gun" before the parliamentary process had concluded, calling it "reckless" and "undermining Parliament and the economy".