AfriForum rejects the green paper on land reform
According to Business Day, AfriForum questioned the constitutional validity of the green paper on land reform, vowing "to use all valuable avenues to oppose" it. The green paper's radical proposals have been criticised by agriculture unions as a threat to property rights, while academics and non-governmental organisations found that it inadequately addressed the shortcomings of the government's initial land distribution efforts.
Opposition parties also argue that the bill avoids addressing women's land rights under traditional leadership jurisdictions. Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti has said in the past that the paper proposes three bodies who will collectively keep track of land sales, ensure there were proper records, and "facilitate productive land usage and an equitable land distribution". The three bodies ('pillars') include a land management commission, a land valuer-general and a land rights management board, with local management committees, Business Day reports.
The entire document has been rejected by AfriForum on economic affairs spokesman Cornelius Jansen van Rensburg, who said its key proposals were "totally unacceptable". "The green paper carries within it the ability to render constitutional rights null and void and as a consequence can undermine economic prosperity, as well as social and political stability," he said. Issues identified as likely to cause concern included the proposed "severe limitations" on private ownership, the powers granted to the valuer-general to determine the value of land, the commission's powers to invalidate title deeds and confiscate land, and the state's right to intervene regarding the use of land.
Read the full article on www.businessday.co.za.
