Seen against the historical background of the land grab exercised by South Africa’s neighbour dictator Mad Bob Mugabe, president Jacob Zuma’s comments about “land reform” this weekend during the ANC’s 103rd birthday celebrations in Cape Town may be considered worrisome.
In the attached video it is clear the Zoemster is not speaking about repatriation of land via the willing seller and willing buyer method. It sounds a lot like a warning and a threat. His words did little to build confidence for white land owners in South Africa or investing in the future of South Africa. Can the taking of land ever be done peaceful?
Zuma described the “willing buyer, willing seller” model of land reform as “unsuccessful”, Zuma explained expropriation will be on the cards for South Africa. Not in the future – but “this year”.
Although Zuma explained the system would be carried out “in line with the constitution”, constitution protects land rights. He will need to deviate from the SA constitution to exercise his idea of land reform, no matter what.
His references to the ‘dopstelsel’ – a outdated method farmers used in the past to partly pay farm workers with rations of whine – is ludicrous as this systems has been abolished decades ago. We smell cheap political point scoring of an embattled leader in a province he desperately needs to win back from the Democratic Alliance.
