How the DA would deal with land distribution if it was in charge

Following the proposed amendment of the Constitution to allow for land redistribution without compensation, the Democratic Alliance has published it manifesto on how it will support land redistribution in South Africa.

In a statement released on Monday afternoon (12 March), the DA said that while it supports land restitution, it was opposed to amending the Constitution to achieve this goal.

“The Democratic Alliance stands implacably opposed to any abrogation of existing private property rights,” DA leader Mmusi Maimane said.

“Property rights are the bedrock of development and economic growth. Expropriation without compensation is state sanctioned theft, which is inimical to economic growth and development,” he said.

Maimane added that the attempt to amend the Constitution was nothing but a populist effort to scapegoat the Constitution for the failures of the ANC to reform land ownership, and that the party plans to oppose this amendment with every tool at its disposal.

As part of his statement, Maimane said that if the DA was in charge of the national government, it would implement the following redistribution policies, without amending the Constitution:

• New recipients of state subsidised housing will receive full title, and past recipients of RDP homes will given full title;
• The party would make it cheaper for first time buyers to purchase homes through lowering of transfer costs;
• It would distribute the thousands of government owned farms and fallow land, instead of treating emerging farmers as permanent tenants;
• It would give residents of tribal land security of tenure that is recorded and legally enforceable;
• It would allocate adequate budgets to settle all remaining land restitution claims, and for land reform purposes, on the basis of the Constitutional guidelines for compensation; and
• Anyone who wants to farm will receive the support they need to be successful, through the transference of skills and by providing access to the resources and markets they need to sell their goods.

Read: Who will be hit hardest by land redistribution without compensation: economist