South African city’s mass land grab is ‘test case’ for nation
- Local authorities want to seize hundreds of hectares of land from private owners without paying for it so they can build cheap housing
A city outside Johannesburg is preparing what the mayor calls a “test case” for the country – seizing hundreds of acres of land from private owners, without paying for it, to build low-cost housing.
Like other South African cities, Ekurhuleni faces a housing shortage, with 600,000 of its 4 million residents living in shanty towns and little land to build homes.
Last month, Ekurhuleni’s city council voted for “expropriation without compensation”, a legal tool the African National Congress says is necessary to correct historic injustices of apartheid and distribute land equitably.
Over 20 years after white-minority rule ended, white South Africans make up just 8 per cent of the population but still hold most of the individually owned private land, keeping most economic power in the hands of a few.
In July, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the ANC planned to change the constitution to allow for expropriation without compensation, sparking concerns that the move could spur conflict in an already divided nation.