Johannesburg – Expropriation without compensation is “nonsense”, African National Congress MP and former minister Derek Hanekom reiterated on Wednesday morning.
“It will do very serious damage to our economy and is seriously unjust,” he said. He then joked that he is not allowed to use the word “nonsense” any more, after being sanctioned at the ANC’s policy conference.
Hanekom was speaking at the Agribusiness Africa conference at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg, where he urged delegates to be “prepared to stand up for what is right, and stand against what is wrong”.
On Tuesday Hanekom – along with other senior leaders Enoch Godongwana, the head of the economic transformation sub-committee, and former finance minister Pravin Gordhan – argued passionately that the current Constitution is enough to address land reform.
But News24 reported that those arguing against the motion were outnumbered in a room full of Zuma allies. Sources told News24 the former tourism minister became emotional during a heated debate on the expropriation of land without compensation.
Hanekom was in the trenches as minister of agriculture and land affairs from 1994 to 1999.
Farmers must help to drive land reform
“I said you must help us to make this a success, people will look to take harsher measures,” he said. “That unfortunately has become reality that now confronts us.”
He once again urged delegates, who included many farmers, to do more to drive land reform. Hanekom admitted that South Africa has not carried out land reform as well as it could, leading to the push for expropriation with compensation.
“The truth in our country is that our economy is not as competitive as it should be,” he said. “And we have huge racial disparity. This is not about white monopoly capital, it’s about leaving a legacy for the people of South Africa. We must address the exclusion of black people in the economy.”
He said South Africa’s stability would be threatened if the elite could not admit that there is a huge disparity which threatens to erupt at any time.