South Africa’s National Assembly has passed into law the Land Rights Amendment Bill aimed at speeding up the restitution process in the country, state news agency BuaNews said in a statement on Thursday.
The Bill will now be presented to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence.
The Bill allows Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Thoko Didiza to purchase, acquire in any other manner or expropriate land for purposes of restoration.
Presenting the Bill in the National Assembly, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Dirk du Toit said before land could be expropriated, the minister would have to give adequate notice of her intention.
”The minister must give a reasonable opportunity before the affected to make representations,” he added.
In terms of the Land Restitution Amendment Bill expropriated land will be compensated fairly, based on the market value of the land.
The landowners will also have recourse through the courts if they are unhappy with the amount received as compensation.
The chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on agriculture and land affairs, Neo Masithela, concurred that the aim of the Bill was to fast-track land reform.
”It is also to deal with a huge backlog of land claims,” he said.
The Commission on Restitution of Land Rights reported recently that 36 489 land claims had been settled from 1995 to March 31 2003.
”The budget of land reform needs to be increased so that the department and the commission could carry the responsibility given by this government to make land accessible to our people,” he said. — I-Net Bridge