Minister must give an explanation regarding farm expropriation list

The civil rights organisation AfriForum has made an appeal to the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, to give a decisive answer regarding the list of farms that will be targeted by the Department for expropriation without compensation.

This follows after AfriForum published a list yesterday that is currently being circulated within the Department under the heading Expropriation Test Cases and the Department then reacted to this by saying that it is not the correct list.

Ernst Roets, Deputy CEO of AfriForum, says that there is a clear strategy of secrecy that is being followed by the Department and that the Department is making it clear in its statements that there is malicious motives. Roets refers to Mashabane’s statement earlier this year that the Department does not want to inform the owners of the farms that will be targeted by them for expropriation without compensation of their plans to do so, as they do not want these owners to be able to prepare a litigation strategy. A spokesperson of the Department however contradicted the Minister by saying that the Department wants to first inform the owners of these farms of the Department’s plans to expropriate without compensation. This has however not been done to this date.

Roets says that the uncertainty can easily be eradicated if the Department first of all explains why the list that was published yesterday by AfriForum is being circulated in the Department and secondly give their assurance that none of the properties that are identified on this list will be targeted for expropriation without compensation by the Department.

Meanwhile AfriForum appeals to everyone who’s property is identified on this list, to contact the organisation through the website www.onteiening.co.za in order for a joint litigation strategy to be prepared.

The list can also be viewed on www.onteiening.co.za.