SA Affordable Housing January - February 2019 // Issue: 74 | Page 27

EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS
FMF’s strong case
against expropriation
The issuing of land, how it is distributed and owned is a complex
one that heavily impacts on the affordable housing sector; a recent
conference explored all the concerns surrounding this hot topic.
By Warren Robertson
Presidential candidate in Venezuela María Corina Machado is interviewed at the FMF conference.
T
he Freemarket Foundation (FMF) conference on Expro-
priation Without Compensation (EWC) held on 20 and
21 November sought to address many of the econom-
ic concerns surrounding it and looked for solutions.
Over the two days numerous speakers from throughout
Africa, South America and India looked at case studies in
which models similar to EWC had been implemented. What
came out of it is that time and again these backed up the
FMF’s contention that removing the right to compensation,
as currently contained in section 25 of the Constitution,
when expropriating property will be a ‘lethal blow’ to the
legitimacy and stability of constitutional order if done
under present conditions.
FMF director, Temba Nolutshungu said, “What we are
contemplating right now in terms of expropriation without
compensation is disastrous. It is going to result in socio-
economic hardship.”
The economic situations of Zimbabwe and Venezuela
took centre stage at the gathering with Zimbabwean
activist, Rejoice Ngwenya, asking a probing question to
South Africans calling for land restitution, “Are we pre-
pared to open another chapter of land confrontation?”
www.saaffordablehousing.co.za
Ngwenya suggested that similar poverty in Zimbabwe will
also befall South Africa if it continues down the road of
expropriation without compensation.
Former member of the National Assembly and presiden-
tial candidate in Venezuela, María Corina Machado, was
interviewed on video detailing her country’s slide into
economic ruin, which in many ways echoes the story of
South Africa under Jacob Zuma and the removal of prop-
erty rights.
President Cyril Ramaphosa meanwhile claims that this
policy will not hurt the economy and that it will bring
more people into the fold by helping beneficiaries to
become farmers.
“Five pages to justify changing a provision for which
black South Africans suffered is an insult to our constitu-
tional democracy. The property provision was enacted
specifically to protect those who had, up to 1994, never
had property protection – black South Africans. To now
take away the right to compensation is a direct attack on
the protection black South Africans – who today own more
fixed property than whites – have enjoyed for the past two
decades,” said FMF spokesperson, Jayne Boccaleone.
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