Cyril Ramaphosa Claims Govt Will Be Cautious About Only Using Land Expropriation Bill for Public Purposes

• President Cyril Ramaphosa made some bold assurances during his first Parliamentary Q&A session of 2022
• Ramaphosa claimed that the government would be cautious in how and when it used the Land Expropriation Bill
• South Africans aren't buying Ramaphosa's promises that the bill will only be used for public purposes

CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa has made assurances about the contentious Land Expropriation Bill in Parliament.

The president was answering questions in the National Assembly on Thursday, 10 March, when he claimed the bill would not be used recklessly or unnecessarily to expropriate land.

Ramaphosa said:

"I just want to assure them that it’s going to be used for public purpose and for the interest of our people, and for transformational purposes.”

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The bill, previously rejected by most opposition parties in the National Assembly in 2021, is currently in front of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) after being approved last year, EWN reported.

FF Plus leader Pieter Groenewald worries about effect Expropriation Bill will have on investment

The bill makes room for expropriation without compensation, which Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald claims is similar to no composition and would discourage investment.

Ramaphosa responded that South Africa has a robust judicial system and Constitutional Court, which Groenewald can turn to if he has a problem with land being expropriated with nil compensation, New24 reported.

The president said he was waiting for the NCOP to finish reviewing the bill before deciding whether it should be subjected to a constitutional review.

South Africans are not buying President Cyril Ramaphosa's assurances about land expropriation

South Africans aren't convinced that the Land Expropriation Bill would be used cautiously.

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Below are some comments:

@photog_101 slammed:

"Whenever you give us words of encouragement, we know we can expect the total opposite."

@jobsmokoena said:

"Cyril is very economical with honesty, he should just say it won't happen under his watch."

@SurferSilverza added:

"Nobody is assured by this guy. About anything."

@27Chips claimed:

"Sign that bill and you sign the end of South Africa as we know it!"

@SuarezBaloyi explained:

"Land that is productive and is in use won't be expropriation unless the farmer is willing to take compensation. Also, there exist black farmers as well who are affected."

EFF ditches President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Parliament Q&A session, says he’s a “constitutional delinquent”

In another story, Briefly News reported that the Economic Freedom Fighters were a noticeable no-show at President Cyril Ramaphosa's first Parliament question-and-answer session on Thursday, 9 March.

The Red Berets decided to boycott the session, stating they did not want to legitimise a "constitutional delinquent".

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According to TimesLIVE, the EFF Members of Parliament were scheduled to attend the Q&A session but decided against attending at the 11th hour.

Source: Briefly News