Die Afrikanerbond is op rekord en ons wil dit weer onomwonde stel dat enige proses wat ʼn eensydige verandering in eiendomsreg voorstaan, nie aanvaar kan word nie. Daarom is die Nasionale Vergadering se aanvaarding van die Konsepwetsontwerp so teleurstellend, maar nie onverwags nie. 

Die grondwetlikheid van die wetsontwerp moet opnuut bevraagteken word en dit is op die stadium onvermydelik dat die ondeurdagte kwessie deur litigasie verder geneem sal word. Alle bestaande metodes en moontlikhede is nie naasteby ontgin nie. Die ontneming en onteiening van eiendom word nou slegs ʼn simbool vir politieke doeleindes. 

Daar moet geen twyfel by enige belanghebbende wees dat die ANC die kwessie van grond en eiendomsreg as ʼn verkiesingspeelbal gebruik en aangewend gaan word nie. Die ANC regering kan nie meer vertrou word met grond, eiendomsreg of selfs prosesse tot grondhervorming nie. Daarvoor is die bal te veel keer laat val en verbrou deur ʼn onbevoegde en onbekwame regering en onbeholpe beleidsimplementering met grootskaalse korrupsie. 

Deur enigsins met ʼn onteieningsproses te begin veral as die ‘openbare belang’ ideologies geïnterpreteer gaan word, is nie net kommerwekkend nie en hoe ook al verdoesel en deur watter drogredenasies geregverdig is ʼn eensydige verbreking van die 1994 nasionale akkoord en ʼn ondermyning van die 1996 grondwet.

Die Afrikanerbond het wel formele kommentaar ingedien in die proses, maar ook is reeds betrokke saam met ander instellings in die burgerlike samelewing om die kwessie deeglik te oorweeg. Eiendomsreg soos gewaarborg in die Universele Verklaring van Menseregte is nie ʼn kwessie wat in die ANC se faksiegevegte tuishoort nie en nog minder as partpolitieke kwessie as ʼn verkiesingspeelbal gebruik kan word. Die konsepwetgewing gee aan die ANC-regering die ruimte om arbitrêr grond te onteien en dit kan verdere enorme implikasies inhou vir sake en beleggersvertroue. 

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The Afrikanerbond is on record and we wish to state unequivocally yet again that any process advocating a unilateral change in property rights cannot be accepted. For this reason the National Assembly’s passing of the Expropriation Bill is disappointment but not unexpected. 

The constitutionality of the bill must be questioned anew, and it is inevitable at this stage that the ill-considered issue will be taken further through litigation. Few of the many existing methods and possibilities have been exploited so far. Furthermore, it has become increasingly clear that the deprivation and expropriation of property is a mere symbol for political purposes.

There should be no doubt in the minds of any interested parties that the ANC will be using and exploiting the issue of land and property rights as an election ploy. First and foremost, the ANC government has proven that it cannot be trusted with land, property rights or even land reform processes. The ball has been dropped too many times and the process botched by an incompetent and inept government and clumsy policy implementation characterised by large-scale corruption.

Starting an expropriation process at all, especially if the 'public interest' is to be interpreted ideologically, is not only worrisome; however well disguised and justified by false reasoning, it is, moreover, a unilateral breach of the 1994 national accord and undermines the 1996 constitution.

 

The Afrikanerbond did submit formal comments in the process but is also already involved, together with other civil society institutions, in further considering the issue thoroughly. The country cannot allow the ANC to use the issue of property rights, as guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as either a weapon in its factional in-fighting or a party-political election ploy. The draft legislation gives the ANC government the space to arbitrarily expropriate land, and this has enormous implications for business and investor confidence.