GEORGE NEWS - The burning land redistribution without compensation issue - was analysed during an academic presentation given at the George Golf Club on 29 June 2018. In the 2019 general elections, this issue will undoubtedly continue to grip emotions and feature centre stage - said the guest presenter Professor Ruth Hall, a highly regarded academic and researcher based at the University of the Western Cape. She added that for this very reason we may as well begin to work on short-term solutions to ease this pressing issue.
Bill can be altered to become democratic
Prof Hall also suggested a Land Redistribution Bill which, after due consultation, could become the democratic counterpart to expropriation, giving all citizens rights of equitable access to land.
She also felt that Government needed to relook the land restitution process because there clearly wasn’t another 143 years available in which to address all the submitted land claims (that is the estimate as to how long it will take to settle all land claims at the current slow pace).
There were already examples in other African countries of differing land rights being compiled using modern technology.
Concerns were voiced that the country’s economy could be irreversibly damaged by the negative perceptions of non-compensation of expropriated property and that international investment would disappear. A sentiment from the floor was that several of the Professions present were ready, willing and able to contribute to land reform - they were geared up and waiting to be called upon.
Towards the close of a fascinating afternoon, Professor Hall offered several short-term solutions for the country:
Expropriation without compensation in defined circumstances can already take place in terms of Section 25 and that an amendment was unnecessary. Government can provide properly controlled access to well-located urban and rural land via rapid land-release programmes.
Government could make redistribution real and immediate by halting, for example, evictions in well-established informal urban settlements and of rural farm-dwellers and by acknowledging the permanence of those categories of landless as well as occupiers of dilapidated high-rise urban apartment blocks which had already been abandoned by owners.
The 'Land Debate' presentation given at the George Golf Club on 29 June was attended by Pat Tarboton, Mark de Buin and John Bailey. Amongst the attendees there were many local professionals and land surveyors were particularly well represented.
No land distribution under the ANC
Those under the impression that land reform has been low on the Government’s agenda were perhaps not surprised to hear that there had been no post-1994 law on land redistribution. The audience heard that the land reform budget was currently a meagre 0.2% of National Expenditure.
When it came to Land Restitution, Professor Hall referred to the "unfulfillable promise" relating to land claims: at the current pace of settling, a further 35 years would be required to resolve the remaining claims made before the 1998 deadline and 143 years to resolve those submitted since the process was reopened in 2014!
At the conclusion of Professor Hall’s talk local land surveyor John Bailey thanked the three sponsors, the attendees for their support and in particular Professor Hall for her extremely interesting and informative talk. Invaluable sponsorships for the occasion were received from The George Herald (main), Sotheby’s Estate Agency and ooba Bond and Homeloan Specialists.
The presentation was organised by local members of the South Africa Geomatics Institute and was well attended by an audience made up mainly of Southern Cape-based property professionals.
Article: Dave Kirby and Associates (In association with HNK Geomatics Inc : Margate) Professional Land Surveyor.
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