Govt Releases South African Land Under Distribution Programme

Deputy President David Mabuza has said 436,563 hectares of land have been released as of May 13, 2021 and approved for allocation, under the land distribution programme. The release of the land is part of the 700,000 hectares announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his February 2020 State of the Nation Address.

Mabuza added that government will be releasing state-owned land to address development pressures around urban and rural human settlements, agricultural production, and industrial development. This comes after Ekurhuleni residents informed the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure that the expropriation of land will effectively reduce poverty, curb the spread of diseases like Covid-19 and prevent dangerous fires in informal settlements.

Hearings on South Africa's proposed expropriation bill have been moved to the province of Gauteng following successful hearings in Limpopo, the North West and Mpumalanga. Committee chairperson, Nolitha Ntobongwana, has expressed her satisfaction with the quality of inputs the committee received from the provinces it has reached. "All the views expressed by citizens will be considered after the committee has reached all the provinces," Ntobongwana said.

The Expropriation Bill seeks to provide for the expropriation of property for public purposes or in the public interest and provide for certain instances where expropriation without compensation may be appropriate.