Public Works and Infrastructure Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala has welcomed the signing into law of the Expropriation Bill by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The legislation, signed into law on January 23, affirms the role of the State in appropriating land for socioeconomic development and for distributive purposes.

The legislation places the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) as the executing authority of expropriation. As such, all applications for those seeking expropriation for a public purpose and in the public interest must be through the DPWI.

Zikalala, in his capacity as the former Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, accelerated the finalisation of the legislation and oversaw its passing by the National Assembly.

The State has asserted that the Bill aligns with Section 25 of the Constitution, is modelled on international best practices and complies with all public consultation processes.

Section 25 states that property may be expropriated only for a public purpose or in the public interest and it should be subject to compensation, the amount of which and the manner of payment must be agreed upon or decided by a court.

The Constitution defines public interest as including “land reform and equitable access to natural resources”, with an aim to redress past injustices and facilitate socioeconomic transformation.

“This is the legislation that will take South Africa in reality on the path of economic transformation and inclusive economic growth,” Zikalala said.

He said this was a culmination of the struggle waged by forbears against the dispossession of the majority of black people through the 1913 Land Act and the Group Areas Act. 

“We will use the newly promulgated legislation to enhance the delivery of infrastructure development programmes, industrialisation and agricultural reform that improves food security,” he added.

Ramaphosa has assured that the legislation will be implemented without destabilising the economic and development prospects of the country.