South Africa’s parliament has failed to secure the two-thirds majority it needed to amend the constitution to pave the way for land expropriation without compensation.
During a debate on Tuesday, ruling Africa National Congress (ANC) party MP Mathole Motshekga, who chaired the committee that drafted the bill, said parliament had the opportunity to address a “crime against against African humanity and dispossession of land”.
Two main opposition parties – the Economic Freedom Fighters and the Democratic Alliance – did not support the amendment.
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EFF leader Julius Malema said the process was a complete failure because the ANC introduced a “nil compensation” clause which is not what the party wanted.
The DA said the amendment would be detrimental for South Africa.
The country’s white minority is believed to have a disproportionate hold over land, with a few thousand white commercial farmers possessing the most fertile land.
However, critics fear expropriation could lead to land grabs, as happened in neighbouring Zimbabwe.
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