ANC Says It Followed Fair Processes in Signing the Expropriation Bill Into Law

• The African National Congress insists that the process of signing the Expropriation Bill into law fair
• The party noted the views of the Democratic Alliance, which has accused ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa of not consulting the party and the GNU
• The ANC’s spokesperson said the DA and the ANC remain opposed ideologically despite being part of the GNU

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, cabinet reshuffles, the State of the Nation Address, Parliament and Parliamentary committees, politician-related news and elections at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.

MPUMALANGA— The African National Congress (ANC) had insisted that the process it followed that led to President Cyril Ramaphosa signing the Expropriation Bill into law was fair. It refused to budge on the law’s enactment and implementation.

ANC stands firm on Expropriation Bill

According to eNCA, the party’s spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said the party noted the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) opposition to the signing of the bill. DA’s president John Steenhuisen said that the party declared a dispute in the Government of National Unity and accused the ANC of not consulting with its GNU partners before signing the law.

Read also

Fikile Mbalula says government can’t be run like a stokvel, Mzansi jokes the ANC have run it worse

Bhengu-Motsiri defended the ANC and said the ANC and DA’s differences are well documented. She added that the fact that both parties participate in the GNU does not take away the fact that the two parties remain ideologically and opposed on a range of policies.

“A thorough process of participation in parliament was followed and the process has run its full course, and this is what we stand by as a party,” she said.

Opposition to the Bill’s signing

Opposition parties including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the MK Party strongly opposed the signing of the bill. The parties called the ANC sell-outs and said the bill does not align with the goal for land restitution.

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson tweeted that he will not enforce the nil-compensation clause of the bill, which states that the state may expropriate without compensation on reasonable grounds, and if the state and the property owner have not reached a compensation agreement.

Read also

SA calls Jacob Zuma's case against the use of GNU by the SABC a waste of time

Netizens slam the ANC

Netizens on Facebook called the ANC out for signing the bill.

Mark Spuds Freemantle said:

“The DA should pull out of the GNU. Let the ANC drive the country head-on into a brick wall.”

Eugene Groeneveld said:

“Don’t ever trust Ramaphosa. He lies and steals without a blink.”

Felix Selepe asked:

“The ANC government can’t even maintain simple things like roads, street lights and water, so what are they going to do with the land if they fail on the simple things I mentioned?”

David De Vries-Botha said:

“The ANC is looking to get their voters back. That is why he did this.”

Fikile Mbalula defends Ramaphosa signing bill

In a similar article, Briefly News reported that ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula stood with Ramaphosa signing the Expropriation Bill. He hit back against critics who called the signing of the bill out.

Read also

ANC NEC members summoned for disciplinary hearings, SA weighs in as 4 implicated in State Capture

Mbalula said the government cannot be treated like a stockvel. He said those who disagreed with the signing of the bill were welcome to take the matter to court, and South Africans were not impressed with his response.

Source: Briefly News