Grondhervorming : is onteiening sonder vergoeding die magiese "silwer koeël" of is dit 'n (berekende) skoot in die donker?
Date
2019
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
LitNet
Abstract
Die oorgang na ’n grondwetlike demokrasie in 1994 het ’n indringende en omvattende
grondhervormingsprogram vooropgestel weens jare lange koloniale en apartheidsbenaderings
tot grond. ’n Uniek Suid-Afrikaanse program sluit herverdeling van grond,
grondbeheerhervorming en restitusie in. Wat herverdeling van grond betref, is ’n opemarkbenadering gevolg, gefundeer op die gewillige-verkoper-gewillige-koper-beginsel (GVGKbeginsel). Toenemend is aansprake gemaak dat die GVGK-beginsel grondhervorming
omslagtig en uitgerek, asook duur en onvolhoubaar gemaak het. Een of ander intervensie was
vervolgens nodig, enersyds ’n aanpassing of regulering van die mark waar grond en eiendom
vir grondhervormingsdoeleindes verkry word, en andersyds, ’n aanpassing van die raamwerk
waarbinne onteiening funksioneer, om dit meer op een lyn met die Grondwet te bring. Onlangse
ontwikkelings in hierdie arena sluit in die inwerkingtreding van die Property Valuation Act 7
van 1914, hersiening van die eiendomsklousule en die publikasie van die Draft Expropriation
Bill in Desember 2018. Vir die eerste keer maak laasgenoemde voorsiening vir die
moontlikheid van onteiening met nul vergoeding by vyf moontlike grondkategorieë.
Hierdie bydrae ondersoek die moontlikheid of die onlangse ontwikkelings, spesifiek onteiening
sonder vergoeding, inderdaad grondhervorming gaan bevorder. Kontekstualisering vereis ’n
oorsig van die Suid-Afrikaanse grondgeskiedenis, gevolg deur ’n kort uiteensetting van die
drie subprogramme van die oorhoofse grondhervormingsprogram. Die spesifieke intervensies,
naamlik die Property Valuation Act en die Draft Expropriation Bill, word daarna breedvoerig
uiteengesit. ’n Ontleding dui aan dat die samehang van relevante statutêre maatreëls
onvoldoende belyn is en dat die Draft Expropriation Bill vaag is betreffende onteiening sonder
vergoeding wat sowel die omvang as die resultaat betref. Verder bly onteiening kompleks en
gaan dit nie die tempo van grondhervorming versnel nie. Onteiening sonder vergoeding gaan
verder geensins die bestaande gebreke en tekortkominge in die grondhervormingsprogram aanspreek nie. In hierdie opsig moet gebreke in die nuwe statutêre maatreëls eers aangespreek
word, moet beter belyning van relevante bepalings ontwikkel word, spesifiek die plek en rol
van die Property Valuation Act, en moet voortslepende verbandhoudende tekortkominge,
byvoorbeeld die gebrek aan politieke wil, dringend aandag geniet. Onteiening sonder
vergoeding is dus nie die silwer koeël wat eensklaps verligting gaan bring nie.
The dawning of a new constitutional dispensation necessitated an in-depth and allencompassing land reform programme, given the South African history of dispossession embedded in colonialism and apartheid. A uniquely South African programme was required, as it had to redress the impact of past racially based land control approaches while simultaneously being forward-looking: promoting access to land and tenure security. In this regard three inter-connected sub-programmes were developed, constituting redistribution (broadening access to land), tenure reform (upgrading insecure rights) and restitution (restoring land and rights in land lost after 19 June 1913). All of these sub-programmes are constitutionally grounded in section 25(5), (6) and (7) respectively, and further bolstered by section 25(8) of the Constitution. With regard to redistribution specifically, a market-based or market-assisted approach was followed, founded on the willing-buyer-willing-seller principle. Increasingly this approach was criticised – for being too complex and burdensome, but more importantly, for making land reform far too expensive and thus unsustainable. It was in this context that a twofold intervention was called for: adjustment or regulation of the market in terms of which land and property could be acquired for land reform purposes on the one hand and reconsideration of the framework within which expropriation operated on the other. Recent developments in this arena include the promulgation of the Property Valuation Act in 2014, embarking on a review process of section 25, the property clause in 2018, and the publication of the Draft Expropriation Bill on 21 December 2018. For the first time provision was made for the possibility of expropriation with nil compensation with respect to five categories of land in particular.
The dawning of a new constitutional dispensation necessitated an in-depth and allencompassing land reform programme, given the South African history of dispossession embedded in colonialism and apartheid. A uniquely South African programme was required, as it had to redress the impact of past racially based land control approaches while simultaneously being forward-looking: promoting access to land and tenure security. In this regard three inter-connected sub-programmes were developed, constituting redistribution (broadening access to land), tenure reform (upgrading insecure rights) and restitution (restoring land and rights in land lost after 19 June 1913). All of these sub-programmes are constitutionally grounded in section 25(5), (6) and (7) respectively, and further bolstered by section 25(8) of the Constitution. With regard to redistribution specifically, a market-based or market-assisted approach was followed, founded on the willing-buyer-willing-seller principle. Increasingly this approach was criticised – for being too complex and burdensome, but more importantly, for making land reform far too expensive and thus unsustainable. It was in this context that a twofold intervention was called for: adjustment or regulation of the market in terms of which land and property could be acquired for land reform purposes on the one hand and reconsideration of the framework within which expropriation operated on the other. Recent developments in this arena include the promulgation of the Property Valuation Act in 2014, embarking on a review process of section 25, the property clause in 2018, and the publication of the Draft Expropriation Bill on 21 December 2018. For the first time provision was made for the possibility of expropriation with nil compensation with respect to five categories of land in particular.
Description
CITATION: Pienaar, J. M. 2019. Grondhervorming : is onteiening sonder vergoeding die magiese "silwer koeël" of is dit 'n (berekende) skoot in die donker? LitNet Akademies, 16(3):712-747.
The original publication is available at https://www.litnet.co.za
The original publication is available at https://www.litnet.co.za
Keywords
Eminent domain, Land reform -- South Africa, Racially based land control, Land tenure -- South Africa, Expropriation without compensation
Citation
Pienaar, J. M. 2019. Grondhervorming : is onteiening sonder vergoeding die magiese "silwer koeël" of is dit 'n (berekende) skoot in die donker? LitNet Akademies, 16(3):712-747.