No Expropriation Without Compensation On My Watch, Macpherson Vows

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has vowed that there will be no expropriation of private property under his watch.

His comment follows President Cyril Ramaphosas signing of the contentious Expropriation Bill into law on Thursday 23 January.

The Bill assented to by President Ramaphosa outlines how expropriation can be done and on what basis. This law will assist all organs of state - local, provincial and national authorities - to expropriate land in the public interest for varied reasons, the Presidency said .

However, parties such as the Freedom Front Plus FF and the Democratic Alliance DA, which Macpherson belongs to, have expressed concerns that the Act may lead to expropriation of land without compensation.

In essence, the law allows government to expropriate property, in certain cases, at null compensation, which comes down to expropriation without compensation, FF leader Pieter Groenewald said in a statement .

The new law gives the Public Works and Infrastructure minister powers to expropriate property. In a post on X on Friday 24 January, Macpherson vowed to protect private property rights.

As the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, there will be NO expropriation of private property without compensation on my watch. The guarantee of property rights under Section 25 of the Constitution is not up for debate and is non-negotiable, he wrote.

Section 25 states that expropriation is subject to just and equitable compensation, which can be agreed to by those affected or decided or approved by a court.

The compensation must also reflect an equitable balance between the public interest and the interests of those affected, taking into account various factors such as the propertys market value and use.