South Africa Slips Further Into the Void

Hiding From the Real Problems

It looks like South Africa has decided to become a republic of the banana variety.  It's Parliament has voted to steal land from white farmers without compensation.  This represents the worst kind of xenophobic racism.  

South Africa's parliament has voted in favour of a motion that will begin the process of amending the country's Constitution to allow for the confiscation of white-owned land without compensation.

The motion was brought by Julius Malema, leader of the radical Marxist opposition party the Economic Freedom Fighters, and passed overwhelmingly by 241 votes to 83 against. The only parties who did not support the motion were the Democratic Alliance, Freedom Front Plus, Cope and the African Christian Democratic Party.

It was amended but supported by the ruling African National Congress and new president Cyril Ramaphosa, who made land expropriation a key pillar of his policy platform after taking over from ousted PM Jacob Zuma earlier this month.  "The time for reconciliation is over. Now is the time for justice," Malema was quoted by News24 as telling parliament. "We must ensure that we restore the dignity of our people without compensating the criminals who stole our land."

According to Bloomberg, a 2017 government audit found white people owned 72 per cent of farmland in South Africa.  ANC deputy chief whip Dorries Eunice Dlakude said the party "recognises that the current policy instruments, including the willing-buyer willing-seller policy and other provisions of Section 25 of the Constitution may be hindering effective land reform".  ANC rural affairs minister Gugile Nkwinti added: "The ANC unequivocally supports the principle of land expropriation without compensation. There is no doubt about it, land shall be expropriated without compensation."

Thandeka Mbabama from the Democatic Alliance party, which opposed the motion, said there was a need to right the wrongs of the past but expropriation "cannot be part of the solution".  "By arguing for expropriation without compensation, the ANC has been gifted the perfect scapegoat to explain away its own failure," she said in a statement.  "Making this argument lets the ANC off the hook on the real impediments — corruption, bad policy and chronic underfunding. Expropriation without compensation would severely undermine the national economy, only hurting poor black people even further."  [NZ Herald]

There have been plenty of instances where governments have destroyed agricultural industries.  Former "break-basket" nations have ended up with famines.  Zimbabwe is a classic of the genre.

"The [Economic Freedom Fighters'] view on redistribution is merely a racist process to chase white people off their land and establish it within the state," he said. "This is not only deceiving, but also a duplication of the economic policies that the world's worst economies put in place."

Afriforum said it would take its fight to the United Nations if necessary. The matter has been referred to the parliament's Constitutional Review Committee, which must report back by August 30.  Earlier this month, Louis Meintjes, president of the farmers' group the Transvaal Agricultural Union, warned the country risked going down the same route as Zimbabwe, which plunged into famine after a government-sanctioned purge of white farmers in the 2000s.

Doubtless there will be many, many farming families to be stripped of everything they own but the shirts on their backs.  Doubtless there will be many more South African migrants and refugees applying to come to New Zealand and Australia, Canada and the United States.  About seven percent of our net migrants came from South Africa last year.  Expect that number to grow.

Many of the migrants to New Zealand from Zimbabwe and South Africa have been staunchly Christian--actual practising Christians, not just in name only.  They have made a real contribution to the churches in New Zealand.   This is now likely to continue.  Our gain is South Africa's loss.

One can only hope the rural migrating workforce will include many farm laborers, not just (former) farm owners.  They will, however, struggle with our immigration points system.  They will be caught in a ravine because the United Nations will not regard them as genuine refugees.  So, they will not be able to come to NZ as part of its annual international refugee quota either.