CAPE TOWN, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- South African Parliament's Joint Constitutional Review Committee (JCRC) on Thursday adopted its report in favor of an amendment of section 25 of the Constitution to pave way for the state to expropriate land without compensation.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the National Freedom Party (NFP) all voted in favor of the report, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Congress of the People (COP) voted against it, the committee said.
According to the rules governing Parliament's committees, all political parties represented in the national legislature could participate in the deliberations and public hearings on the matter, but only those whose names have appeared in the Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports (ATC) as members of the JCRC could vote on the matter.
Committee Co-Chairperson Lewis Nzimande expressed his gratitude to the thousands of South Africans who participated in the process of helping the committee come to a decision on the matter.
"This has truly been a massive project. We have seen people queuing for long periods, just to make sure they have a say on the matter," Nzimande said.
"This is a reminder to all of us of the importance of land to all South Africans," he said.
The JCRC was instructed by the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces to ascertain whether a review of section 25 of the Constitution and other clauses is necessary, to make it possible for the state to expropriate land in the public interest without compensation, and also to propose constitutional amendments where necessary.
The committee has held public hearings in all nine provinces, followed by oral presentations in Parliament.
Committee Acting Co-Chairperson Stan Maila said the JCRC has tried as much as possible to accommodate all views in its report.
"It was clear during this process that there was total agreement that there was a need for urgent and accelerated land reform in order to address the injustices of the past, which were inflicted on the majority of South Africans," he said.
"The hunger for land amongst the dispossessed was clear," said Maila.
Nzimande elaborated that this could only be addressed by amending section 25 of the Constitution, to be explicitly clear that expropriation of land without compensation by the state in the public interest should be one mechanism to accelerate the land reform program.
"South Africans have spoken, loud and clear, and we listened to their cry," Nzimande said.
The committee, however, has met with strong opposition. Opponents argue that land expropriation without compensation will drive away white farmers, kill jobs and threaten food security.
The government has assured that land expropriation without compensation should be pursued without destabilizing the agricultural sector, endangering food security in the country, or undermining economic growth and job creation.
Since taking power in 1994, the ANC has made land redistribution from whites to blacks without compensation one of its priorities.
But land remains predominantly in white hands more than two decades after the end of apartheid, sparking growing discontent among South African blacks.
