Land in South Africa is an element that goes beyond its already important economic function. Control of the land and its resources, the possibility of owning hectares and farms are circumstances that have a significant impact on the most pressing issue in the country: that is, the racial one and which concerns the claims of the ancient ethnic groups that make up the South African nation. In the 1913 il Native Land Act has been seen, already at the time, as a forerunner of possible tensions and clashes between the white population and the black population. With that rule buying or renting land in South Africa becomes very difficult, in fact, blacks are denied many possibilities in this sense and in some cases it even leads to expropriation. Today history repeats itself with all the worries that come when, in the country, we talk about land. But this time the situation is reversed: it's the government, led by the African National Congress, which wants to give the State the possibility to expropriate lands without compensation and redistribute them. Now it is the population of European origin, gli Africans, to fear more.

The vote of the South African parliament

In recent days the Cape Town parliament, where it is based despite the government buildings being in much further away Pretoria, has in fact given the first green light to the land expropriation project. In truth, the process is very long, as there is a constitutional reform to be implemented in the middle. In particular, in order to give life to the government's plan regarding the lands to be redistributed, it is necessary modifying the section 25 of the Constitution. There is already a passage there that talks about expropriations, but it provides for onerous compensations. Now the goal is to remove them: if the State deems it appropriate, in the future the lands can be expropriated without paying a penny to the former owner. In recent months, parliament has given the green light to the establishment of a commission responsible for modifying the section 25. With the vote a few days ago, the parliamentarians expressed their favorable opinion on the commission's report.

Con 209 votes in favor e 91 opposite, as we also read in the Tweet on the South African parliament page, the report is recognized as legitimate and now the legislative body can continue its work to arrive at the actual amendment laws. A revision proposal will be drafted based also on the approved commission report, but the process involves first moving into a phase of public debate, subsequently a vote of both houses of the South African parliament is required. Only then can the law be examined for the president's signature Ramaphosa. Therefore long times, but the debates are already heated between those who speak of a "just claim" for blacks deprived of land during apartheid and those, on the other side, fears the start of a real persecution against Afrikaners.

Fears about reform

The point is precisely the question of safety. South Africa is a nation with vast, sparsely populated territories, most of the Afrikaner landowners reside there. Their farms are often isolated, the fear of many of them is that with more heated spirits and the prospect of expropriation, it becomes impossible to defend oneself from those who would like to take advantage of the situation to take land even through violence. South Africa is already one of the most insecure countries in the world and the situation appears to have gotten much worse in recent years. The murder rate is high, in metropolises as in the countryside. The situation reflects a collapsing economy: high unemployment, many activities stopped, increasingly slow growth, an explosive mixture for a society already in itself crossed by a thousand tensions.
But fears for Afrikaners are not limited to security: “Property rights are at risk“, is the accusation launched by the Democratic Alliance, main opposition party. The danger of indiscriminate economic persecution against the white minority has been raised by many for weeks. President Ramaphosa himself was “forced”, during a recent visit to Brussels, to reassure the European Parliament: “Do not be afraid: there will be no massive expropriations of land or abusive actions", he declared in front of some parliamentarians. Ramaphosa is leader of a leading party for South Africa, being the one founded by Mandela and having been in government continuously since 1994, which however is put into crisis by economic failures and corruption scandals. It therefore needs the support and newfound trust of the black population, but his statements appear to show a more moderate side. However, the situation is different with regards to the other party in favor of the reform project, i.e. the Eff: “The expropriation is justified – declares the spokesperson Bring back Ndlozi – Because they are not really white lands. They must show remorse and give up the land.".

The fears also belong to whom, with memory, regarding expropriation and redistribution of land, goes to 2000. In that year, in the neighbor Zimbabwe, former president Mugabe started a very similar reform, which involves the expropriation of many lands in the hands of the population of European origin and the redistribution to blacks. After that reform the African country entered a serious phase of crisis: expropriations that are sometimes too forced, confusion during the reassignment phase, business and farm failures, ever smaller food rations. Clear sign of how, beyond the ethical and racial aspects, if not managed well, redistribution risks blocking the economy. And at the moment South Africa does not appear to be a country with strong nerves, in which, moreover, we can afford the risk of affecting the economy.
source: http://www.occhidellaguerra.it/il-sudafrica-verso-l-esproprio-delle-terre-ai-bianchi/