'If the State takes control of the land, we will starve'

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Rustenburg - The voices of women, youth and the elderly will be heard at the public hearing on land expropriation without compensation, committee chairperson Vincent Smith said on Thursday. "The voice of women, the voice of youth and the voice of the elderly will be heard," Smith said at the start of the public hearing in Rustenburg. He said there would be a split of 50-50 between men and women who would be heard. "I do not want the land to be expropriation, I want to be an owner of my property, I do not want to pay rent on my property. If the State takes control of the land, we will go hungry. Look at Zambia, government took the land and politicians ended up with huge chunks of land..." said one woman who did not identify herself. Sheila Mabale-Huma said land should be taken without compensation. "The land was previously taken by force, why should there be compensation?" she asked.

Babe Masego said the issue of title deeds should be put to rest, and lands be taken and put under the control of the state, stating that the white people did not have title deeds of the land they occupied.

A delegation of the Joint Constitutional Review Committee are set to wrap up the North West leg of the public hearings in Rustenburg on Thursday.

The committee was instructed by the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces to ascertain whether a review of Section 25 of the Constitution and other clauses are necessary, to make it possible for the state to expropriate land in the public interest without compensation, and propose the necessary constitutional amendments where necessary.

Public hearings were held in Taung on Tuesday, and in the provincial capital Mahikeng on Wednesday.

Earlier, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema was greeted by rousing applause when he arrived at the public hearing.

"Juju, Juju" the crowd chanted as the EFF commander-in chief, dressed in a red overalls walked to the stage accompanied by party general secretary Godrich Gardee. The crowd also went into raptures when Malema introduced himself.

Community members chanted inside the hall that they wanted land.

African News Agency (ANA)