ANC: no 'sensitive' land for foreigners, review 'willing buyer, willing seller' policy

In its discussion paper on rural development and land reform, the ANC proposes that new land acquisitions by foreigners should be subjected to leaseholds rather than outright ownership, Sowetan Live reports. New legislation - the ANC says - should enable the government to acquire "sensitive and controlled" land on the market before foreigners are able to acquire it.

Sensitive land, the ANC says, is communal, coastal, heritage, rural, agricultural, environmentally sensitive, security sensitive and board lands. According to the ANC, the government should ensure foreign investment in land is in line with "national interests," Sowetan Live says.

Another controversial issue coming from the ANC policy conference in Midrand is the willing buyer, willing seller policy. According to iAfrica.com, President Jacob Zuma called in his opening address for a review of the policy, as it tends to "distort the land market through inflating the prices of land earmarked for restitution. It makes land reform expensive and delays land redistribution to the poor."

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