South Africa MPs reject plan to allow land seizures

South Africa’s parliament has failed to secure the two-thirds majority it needed to amend the constitution to pave the way for land expropriation without compensation.

During a debate on Tuesday, ruling Africa National Congress (ANC) party MP Mathole Motshekga, who chaired the committee that drafted the bill, said parliament had the opportunity to address a “crime against against African humanity and dispossession of land”.

Two main opposition parties - the Economic Freedom Fighters and the Democratic Alliance - did not support the amendment.

EFF leader Julius Malema said the process was a complete failure because the ANC introduced a “nil compensation” clause which is not what the party wanted.

The DA said the amendment would be detrimental for South Africa.

The country's white minority is believed to have a disproportionate hold over land, with a few thousand white commercial farmers possessing the most fertile land.

However, critics fear expropriation could lead to land grabs, as happened in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: AFP