y has been a controversial topic of debate among members of parliament. Opposition political parties like the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) continuously call for expropriation of land without compensation from white land owners by government. This, they believe, will reduce poverty and redress past discrimination by the apartheid government which saw 90% of arable land in South Africa in possession and ownership of the white minority when the 1913 Land Act was first enacted. The Bill of Rights in The Constitution of South Africa states that:
- No one may be deprived of property except in terms of law of general application, and no law may permit arbitrary deprivation of property.
“(2) Property may be expropriated only in terms of law of general application— (a) for a public purpose or in the public interest; and (b) subject to compensation, the amount of which and the time and manner of payment of which have either been agreed to by those affected or decided or approved by a court. “
(3) The amount of the compensation and the time and manner of payment must be just and equitable, reflecting an equitable balance between the public interest and the interests of those affected, having regard to all relevant circumstances, including— (a) the current use of the property; (b) the history of the acquisition and use of the property; (c) the market value of the property; (d) the extent of direct state investment and subsidy in the acquisition and beneficial capital improvement of the property; and (e) the purpose of the expropriation.
(4) For the purposes of this section— (a) the public interest includes the nation’s commitment to land reform, and to reforms to bring about equitable access to all South Africa’s natural resources; and (b) property is not limited to land. – The Bill of Rights: Section 25 (Property), Page 10
Cyril Ramaphosa, the new president of the ruling party recently stated at the ANC’s 54th National Conference in December 2017 that the National Executive Committee (NEC) would start the process of amending Section 25 which is the Constitution’s property clause, in order to enable land redistribution without compensation. This will however be implemented on the condition that the process of expropriation does not negatively impact on agriculture, food security and other vital sectors in the economy.
- Free Higher Education
In October 2015 the #FeesMustFall protest movement saw thousands of students from various Higher Education institutions marching to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, this was in response to the proposed increase in fees for South African universities in the following academic year. Student Representative Councils (SRC) from the different universities recognized that some students from their campuses are barely managing to pay for their university tuition on top of other costs associated with being a varsity student. Therefore an increase in the university tuition will not only exacerbate the situation but also prevent performing students an opportunity to further their education.
SRC’s and other student bodies engaged in dialogue with the management of their universities on behalf fellow students and communicated their grievances. Unsatisfied with the collective response from most of the university management, student organisations rallied their counterparts across the country to join in protest and march to the executive office to submit a memorandum to the President. The Presidency issued a statement shortly after the protest saying a commission of inquiry, which will investigate the viability of fee free higher education in South Africa, will be established and once the report is released a decision will be made.
Fast forward to December 2017, President Jacob Zuma announced free higher education for poor and middle class students. The details of how exactly this decision will be realized is not yet clear but this is a step towards the direction of higher education becoming a tangible possibility for students coming from poor households.
- Growing Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is one of 