In a heated round two of the land debate on The Special Focus on Salaamedia, Zahid Jadwat spoke to BLF president President Andile Mngxitama and Daily Maverick columnist Ivo Vegter.
Ivo Vegter emphasized his concern over the compromise on property rights should EWC go ahead.
"The abuses of Apartheid could not have happened if citizens had been protected by a Bill of Rights. They weren't, so the apartheid regime was able to commit a lot of evil. This emphasizes the dangers of giving government such sweeping power over our freedoms." "It would endanger not only the property rights of White people but of all South Africans", added Vegter. Ivo Vegter also looks at the situation in Venezuela, pointing out that the South American country's crisis began in a similar way. "It's collapsed. It started by expropriating land that was supposedly idle, from there it moved to land that was 'not productive enough', then it started expropriating land that was 'too productive'. Today, Venezuelans are starving and their currency is worthless." However, the leader of the Black First Land First movement, Andile Mngxitama, dismissed fears of South Africa possibly going down the 'Zimbabwe route' in terms of land reform. "We live as if we are in Zimbabwe and Venezuela. Don't threaten us about suffering [because] we are suffering as it is." "Majority of Black people are in a perpetual state of exclusion from the economy of this country." Listen to the full debate here:
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AuthorZahid Jadwat is a South African writer, columnist, podcaster and radio show host. Archives
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