Johannesburg - The African National Congress (ANC) said the state should pay fair compensation for land it acquires for distribution to the country’s black majority, contradicting a suggestion by President Jacob Zuma that the constitution should be changed to allow for free expropriation.

The government’s land redistribution policy needs to be more clearly articulated and it should spell out what constitutes just and equitable compensation for real estate, the ANC said in a discussion document released on Sunday before a party conference to be held in Johannesburg June 30-July 5.



The ANC has won more than 60% of the vote in every election since it took power in 1994. It suffered its worst ever electoral performance in a municipal vote in August, amid mounting discontent over high levels of poverty, unemployment and corruption.