Thousands across the country attended public hearings on the proposed amendment (Oupa Nkosi)
The Joint Constitutional Review Committee on Thursday adopted a resolution that Section 25 of the Constitution be amended to allow for expropriation without compensation.
Following a lengthy process of public consultation and deliberation, the Economic Freedom Fighters’ Floyd Shivambu sponsored a motion on Thursday recommending that the Constitution be amended, mirroring the recommendation the ANC proposed to the committee previously.
The DA’s Annelie Lotriet offered a different motion, recommending that the Constitution not be amended, as the Constitution already makes provision for land reform.
The committee dismissed her motion with 12 votes against four, and adopted the EFF’s proposal by the same margin.
As part of the EFF’s recommendation, it also states that Parliament must appoint a mechanism to now draft the amendment, and that this must be done before the Fifth Parliament rises before the 2019 general elections.
The process will now go through a number of phases.
This report will be tabled in the National Assembly this term, and if it is adopted by the House, another committee will be tasked with drafting the amendments
This process would entail another public participation process and would have to be passed with a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.
More to follow. — News24