ANC wants to expropriate land without paying for it
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has reiterated the party’s plan to expropriate land without compensation, saying it should be implemented.
Mbalula was addressing a rally in Mogwase in Rustenburg ahead of the ANC’s January 8 celebrations on Saturday, 10 January 2026.
He argued that expropriation without compensation would help to support the participation of black people in the economy.
During his speech, he told ANC supporters that they should never apologise for taking part in the South African economy.
“This economy is not only about tenders. It’s about owning the mines. It is about participating in the means of production of this economy,” he said.
“It’s about ensuring that young people do emerge from being entrepreneurs to become petty bourgeoisie.”
The petty bourgeoisie is a Marxist term for the “little” middle class, comprising small business owners, shopkeepers, artisans, and self-employed individuals.
They own some means of production but must also work, placing them between the wealthy bourgeoisie (owners) and the proletariat (workers).
They aspire to the upper-class lifestyle but often feel threatened by both big capital and the working class.
This, according to Marxist theory, leads to unstable political views, sometimes supporting progressive causes but often acting as a reactionary force.
He said it should not be the case that billionaire Patrice Motsepe is the only black entrepreneur and businessman to have become wealthy.
“That is why nationalisation of the South African Reserve Bank is a resolution of the ANC. It must be implemented,” Mbalula said.
“Comrades, expropriation of land without compensation when we get back our power must be implemented.”
He said the ANC has lost many opportunities when it lost its majority in the 2024 general elections in South Africa.
However, he added that the ANC should stop complaining and not behave as if it were not in power. “We are governing this country,” he said.
Expropriation without compensation a recipe for disaster
Many economists and analysts have warned that expropriation without compensation is a recipe for disaster, as seen in the collapse of Zimbabwe’s economy.
AgriSA CEO Johann Kotzé expressed his disappointment when President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Bill into law on 23 January 2025.
The bill facilitates the expropriation of land with nil compensation under specified conditions in the public interest.
“The signing of the Expropriation Bill poses a risk to private property rights, which is the primary basis on which South African agriculture is structured,” he said.
He added that the Expropriation Bill poses a risk to agricultural sustainability and food security in South Africa.
AgriSA said that although it supports transformation and land reform in the agricultural sector, it must not come at the expense of the economy and investor confidence.
The Banking Association of South Africa has previously explained that expropriation without compensation will reduce the capacity of banks to extend credit.
Entrepreneurs often use this credit from banks for personal development and to improve people’s living standards.
“Expropriation of land at below market value will have dire consequences for all South Africans if not managed in an orderly manner,” it said.
The United States government has also expressed grave concern over South Africa’s trajectory on property rights, particularly with the expropriation bill.
Renowned economist Dawie Roodt said the Expropriation Act grants South African politicians the right to steal people’s property.
“The term expropriation is just another term for theft. This is what the state does when it takes people’s property.”
He explained that the state’s primary role is to protect its citizens and their property, ensuring that they are always safe.
When the state fails to perform this duty, it breaches its social contract with its citizens, which can lead to a decline in tax payments.
“When the state starts threatening to steal my property, I no longer have a duty to pay taxes to the government,” he argued.
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