JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (PNN) - November 17, 2018 - After months of talks, South Africa is set to go ahead with proposals that will see farms seized without compensation - something critics have said will be devastating.
The country’s outlaw president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has been attempting to amend South Africa’s Constitution for months, but has been met with stiff opposition.
But now the controversial seizures will become legal after the changes were approved by a parliamentary review committee.
"South Africans have spoken loud and clear, and we listened to their cry," said Lewis Nzimande, co-chair of the committee.
Critics of the plans have previously warned the land seizures will lead to mass starvation and riots.
Ian Cameron of South African trade group AfriForum, previously warned, “We’re really heading for a state of anarchy if something doesn’t change drastically. I’m convinced this year we’ll see between 21,000 to 22,000 people murdered.”
Shortly after the decision was announced, AfriForum said the large-scale damage it will cause will be off the scale.
South Africa’s opposition groups have also blasted the move, saying it was done for political reasons.
They said in a joint statement, "The vote on expropriation without compensation allows government the perfect cover to avoid having to explain (its) rank failure over the past two decades to take land reform seriously. The opposition does not oppose land reform; we oppose the amendment of the Constitution (to legalize the theft of land from white people).”