AgriSA backs Motlanthe's land views
2011-11-10 20:33
Johannesburg - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe's views that the law does not need to be changed to achieve land reform is a "breath of fresh air", AgriSA said on Thursday.
The agricultural organisation agreed with Motlanthe that targets could be reached if existing legislation was applied correctly.
"It has long been AgriSA's position that the willing seller approach or constitutional guarantees were not obstacles to successful land reform, but rather incompetence, corruption and mismanagement within the department of rural development and land reform," the union said in a statement.
AgriSA was responding to an address by Motlanthe to Parliament's Press Gallery Association in Cape Town earlier this week.
Motlanthe said: "The law as it stands today allows government to expropriate land if it is in the public interest. So willing buyer, willing seller is not an obstacle."
AgriSA welcomed Motlanthe's view that if land had to be acquired in the public interest, fair compensation should be paid. The process should be subject to the authority of the court.
"Motlanthe's statement comes as a breath of fresh air in a very problematic land reform environment where commercial agriculture faces immense uncertainty, threats of expropriation and poor administration," AgriSA said.
It said incompetence was "disastrous" for agriculture in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West -- where outstanding land claims were causing the most problems.
- SAPA