Johannesburg – Lobby group AfriForum's business wing AfriBusiness on Tuesday said it would continue to oppose the expropriation of land without compensation.
"It is not in the public interest and it is something that we will oppose," AfriBusiness CEO Piet le Roux said following a summit with various organisations.
The summit was attended by representatives from AfriForum, AgriSA, the FW de Klerk Foundation, the Helen Suzman Foundation, the Solidarity Movement, the South African Institute of Race Relations, TLU SA, and the Free Market Foundation.
READ: Land expropriation without compensation 'just a slogan' for now - Jonas
It was held under the Chatham House Rules.
According to this rule, information shared at the summit may be used, but not attributed to any speaker or the organisation with which the speaker is affiliated.
The AfriBusiness summit comes after the National Assembly set in motion a process to amend the Constitution to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation.
Protection of property rights
The motion, brought by EFF leader Julius Malema and amended by the ANC, was adopted with a vote of 241 in support and 83 against.
The only parties who did not support the motion were the DA, the FF Plus, Cope and the ACDP.
Le Roux said it was clear that all the organisations that attended the summit agreed that the motion must be opposed.
"It is crucial that civil society take urgent steps to protect property rights," he said.
READ: FF Plus launches Fight Back SA campaign to stop land expropriation
Chairperson of the De Klerk foundation Dave Steward said the motion posed a "fatal threat" to the great constitutional accord that South Africans reached between 1990 and 1994.
"This is not just a threat to white farmers, a threat to property rights, it affects every single person in South Africa. It is a threat to the 7.5 million black South Africans who own their own homes," Steward said.
"People will not invest in a country that does not protect their investment. We are not panicking, but we are deeply concerned," he added.
