Allegations of abuse surface at Expropriation Bill public hearing

On Saturday, the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure hosted a public hearing at the Ella de Bruin Hall in Ermelo in light of the implementation of the Expropriation Bill. The Expropriation Bill repeals the existing Expropriation Act of 1975 to provide a common framework in line with the Constitution, to guide the processes and procedures for the expropriation of property by organs of state, and to provide for certain instances where expropriation with nil compensation may be appropriate in the public interest. The meeting in Ermelo also shifted focus to allegations of human rights abuse against farm dwellers, which will be referred to the relevant committees in Parliament.

The claims of ill treatment of farm dwellers and farm workers dominated the committee’s public hearings in Ermelo, and participants expressed their support to the bill, as farm dwellers told the committee about their severe living conditions on the farms. They added that they hoped the legislation will rescue them from aleged abuse by land owners. The public hearing in Ermelo formed part of a four-day consultation programme in Mpumalanga.
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