The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa's assenting to the long-awaited Expropriation Bill. The Federation supports the Expropriation Act as a necessary legislative overhaul of the existing 1975 Expropriation Act drafted during apartheid's darkest days, and which naturally does not reflect the progressive values and transformation mandate of the democratic Constitution of 1996.
The passage into law of the Act marks an historic victory for the working class, the dispossessed and the downtrodden. It is a welcome step towards honouring the African National Congress' commitment to accelerating government's efforts to ensure all South Africans have equal access to land, water and other natural resources.
The Expropriation Act will be a key tool to capacitate government to accelerate land reform. The essence of this progressive Act is to empower government to use expropriation; including where relevant with full, partial or nil compensation; to support land reform, address the legacies of apartheid and the inequalities that still scar South Africa's socio-economic landscape.
This is critical as South Africa remains one of the world's most unequal nations. We have not managed collectively as a nation to overcome the legacies of colonialism and apartheid in many aspects. Land ownership remains overwhelmingly skewed towards white men. Millions of largely African, Coloured and women South Africans remain landless. This condemns millions to living in informal areas and backyard dwellings in our cities and towns. It denies millions of rural residents, farmworkers and labour tenants their rightful opportunities to till and own land and contribute towards food security and reducing unemployment.
The Act will help end the days of land reform and a cash strapped state being held to ransom by outlandish compensation demands and remove the need to reward unjust colonial and apartheid expropriations where little, if any compensation was paid to millions of dispossessed African, Coloured and Indian families.
It also importantly protects the rights of ordinary workers and South Africans from potential abuse by corrupt elements in the state. The Act states clearly how expropriation processes must be managed and when nil or partial compensation may be utilised. Legal recourse is provided for all parties. The Act is sober and in line with the Constitution and international norms. It provides a just and equitable balance and ensures the needs of workers and ordinary citizens are respected.
COSATU urges the President and government to expedite the final step of promulgation for this fair, rationale and pragmatic law. We should not be swayed by opposition to transformation from hysterical fringe right wing elements who stoke sensationalism on matters requiring calm sobriety. COSATU supports this historic Act.
