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Today, 19 June 2018, marks 105 years since the infamous Land Act of 1913 was enacted by the White minority-ruled government in South Africa. The Land Act led to the dispossession of indigenous Black South Africans of African origin of their land. The 54th National Conference of the majority party – the African National Congress (ANC) – took a groundbreaking resolution at its last National Conference in December 2017 to expropriate land without compensation.

MEC Maile is a member of a five-person team of MECs and Mayors appointed by Gauteng Premier David Makhura to help the Gauteng Provincial Government to develop a plan for Rapid Land Release.

During today’s sitting of Gauteng Provincial Legislature, MEC Lebogang Maile (ANC MPL) tabled a motion on the Expropriation of Land without Compensation. The sitting was symbolic since it coincided with the exact date the passing of the Land Act of 1913 by the colonial regime—and effectively turned indigenous people into pariahs in their own native land.

“We believe that the approach to land expropriation without compensation should be based on ensuring the following: increased security of tenure, land restitution and land redistribution. In doing so, the ANC’s Ready to Govern strategic document, which prioritised the redistribution of vacant, unused and under-utilised State land as well as land held for speculation and hopelessly indebted land, can act as a guide for us”, charged MEC Maile.

Since the advent of democracy and the ascent into power by the ANC-led provincial government in 1994, approximately 62 111 hectares of land have been redistributed. One of the key challenges the current ANC-led administration is grappling with is to provide much needed support for new and emerging Black farmers. This requires government to implement effective programmes to increase training and support measures that will ensure and amplify success stories for beneficiaries of land reform.
 
“We want to ensure that there is sufficient land for social and economic development in order to effect radical socio-economic and spatial transformation. We want to implement expropriation of land in order to locate new developments in the urban core, and close to opportunities”, said Maile.
 
Through the Department of Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD), Gauteng Provincial Government has completed an asset register for government owned land in the province.  Currently Gauteng Provincial Government is exploring the possibilities of using government-owned land to support township-based businesses in need of land or a place to trade/do business.
 
“Our approach to land reform and land expropriation without compensation is highly influenced by our conviction that whatever we do as government should lead to greater ownership of economic assets and wealth by the Black majority, which for too long has been on the periphery, marginalised and exploited when it comes to the mainstream economy. This is the conviction of the ANC government, since we exist to ensure the emancipation of blacks in general and Africans in particular”, concluded MEC Maile.

Issued by Gauteng Provincial Government