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Land debate lemon can be made into lemonade
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The burning issue of land redistribution without compensation was analysed during an academic presentation given at the George Golf Club on 29 June. In the 2019 general elections, this issue will undoubtedly continue to grip emotions and feature centre stage, said guest presenter Prof Ruth Hall, academic and researcher based at the University of the Western Cape. She said that for this very reason we may as well begin to work on short term solutions to ease this pressing issue. Bill can be made democratic Hall 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 re look the land restitution process because there clearly aren't another 143 years available in which to address all the submitted land claims that is how long the settling of all land claims at the current slow pace is estimated to take . There are 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, waiting to be called upon. Short term solutions Expropriation without compensation in defined circumstances can already take place in terms of Section 25 and an amendment is 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. No land distribution law under ANC Those under the impression that land reform has been low on the government's agenda were perhaps not surprised to hear that no law on land redistribution had been passed post 1994. The audience heard that the land reform budget was currently a meagre 0,2% of national expenditure. When it came to land restitution, 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 Hall's talk, local land surveyor John Bailey thanked the three sponsors, the attendees for their support and in particular Prof Hall for her extremely interesting and informative talk. Invaluable sponsorships for the occasion were received from George Herald main , Sotheby's Estate Agency and ooba Bond and Home Loan Specialists. The presentation was organised by local members of the South African Geomatics Institute and was well attended by an audience made up mainly of Southern Cape based property professionals.
Author: Lew Geffen Sotheby's International Realty