South Africa passes Land Expropriation Bill

[Spectral]

Link to The Economist article.
Relevant snips:

The alarmingly named Expropriation Bill, passed on May 26th by South Africa’s parliament, is being hailed by the ruling party as a victory for blacks who were dispossessed of their land by white colonists. More than two decades after the first democratic election of 1994, the vast majority of land is still owned by white South Africans. The African National Congress (ANC) has until now operated a “willing seller, willing buyer” policy of land reform. But this has proved slow and ineffective. Only about 8-10% of white-owned land has been transferred to black owners since the party came to power, a third of its target of 30%.

Pierre de Vos, a constitutional law expert, notes that the expropriation of property will still be subject to the South African constitution, and that fair market prices will have to be paid. He thinks that “people get a bit hysterical” about the bill, and argues it is unlikely to make a major difference.

The bolded requires an almost absurd naïveté to truly believe. Were the prices being received "fair market prices", there would be no need to force the hands of the possible sellers.

Critics fear the bill could affect agricultural production at a time when South Africa is recovering from a serious drought, as well as suffering from creakingly slow economic growth and an expected downgrade of its credit-rating to junk status later this year. Some white farmers look nervously to Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe’s disastrous land reform policies of the early 2000s.

The bolded here seems pretty obvious. Expropriating land from people that have the expertise to farm it and transferring it to people as yet determined would almost certainly be a problematic disruption.

Much more is in the article. I find this troubling and see it as essentially a misguided effort at retributive justice rather than a serious policy aimed at improving the lives of South Africans.

Am I missing something important that should make me think otherwise?

[Kalis]

That moment when someone looks at the disaster that is Zimbabwe and thinks "Let's take a leaf out of their book".

[Grym]

This is not going to end well for South Africa.

[Techno-Druid]

I think this relates to Zimbabwe and even in some aspects the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa.

You cannot take people with knowledge on agriculture and related infrastructure and replace them with people that have little expertise on farming.

An issue with Central and Southern Africa is that while there's a lot of foreign development, there never seems to be a strong push towards economic self-reliance, actually teaching the natives advanced forms of agriculture and architecture.

[Deleted]

so they didnt even look at what happened in zim...

i love this whole.. it happened to us so we should do it them attitude they seem to have. It wont be long before the white population in SA is being actively persecuted. Forcing people out of their business and home alone touches on human rights abuse. especially when there is no valid just cause.

and yes, land being claimed by white folk 300 years ago, doesn't count as just cause.

[Independent voter]

What can you do to fix the damage caused by colonialism? People will always think that live would've been so much better without colonialism.

[Grym]

All the white people in SA should be given a chance to return to the western country, then just let SA take on their "black people's pride" and see how long that will last.

And just let them rot.

[Deleted]

Did someone call the Third Horseman?

[Theinquisition]

Fuck it, offer visas to all SA landowners that want it.

[Techno-Druid]

All the white people in SA should be given a chance to return to the western country, then just let SA take on their "black people's pride" and see how long that will last.

And just let them rot.

What about the Asians in SA? The Chinese, Malays and Indians that are present in South Africa too, should they be able to return to their ancestors' homelands or Western countries too?

South Africa is more than just some white people amongst a lot of black people, there's a lot of ethnicities (including European ethnicities).

[Theinquisition]

Fuck it, offer visas to all SA landowners that want it.

[Techno-Druid]

Fuck it, offer visas to all SA landowners that want it.

I have an idea. If you are A) A persecuted or alienated minority of foreign or indigenous ancestry and B) Have a skill in something, then welcome to America! (Or Europe!)

[Bumbasta]

South Africa: the next Zimbabwe. I think I've made a thread about that once some years ago. Seems I'm right. I've seen redistribution of land based on race once. I can tell you that didn't go well. This is what you get with an analfabetic president under a party that is based on a freedom fighting legacy. Anyways, just like in Zim the world will stand by and do nothing. Glad i don't live there anymore.

[Berengil]

Well, let's be real here. The white South Africans don't really deserve to be there. The reason that most persons of European descent own land in South Africa is directly traceable to colonialism. The control of so much formerly black-dominated land by a white minority in Africa is on some level morally illegitimate.

Now, they can learn lessons from Mugabe's mistakes. Actually pay fair market price for the land and ensure that the black persons buying such land are capable of efficiently farming it.

My bottom line: South Africa was invaded by the Boers and the British. Legacies of their immoral colonialism and racism should be addressed.

[Bumbasta]

All the white people in SA should be given a chance to return to the western country.

I'm even ignoring the more offensive things you said. But this, really? There is no "back to the west" for people that have never known any other home than South Africa for generations. Somehow everyone always sees white South Africans as Europeans. But noone thinks it's strange that there are white people living in America. Even though the whites settled in Africa much earlier.

- - - Updated - - -

Well, let's be real here. The white South Africans don't really deserve to be there. The reason that most persons of European descent own land in South Africa is directly traceable to colonialism. The control of so much formerly black-dominated land by a white minority in Africa is on some level morally illegitimate.

Now, they can learn lessons from Mugabe's mistakes. Actually pay fair market price for the land and ensure that the black persons buying such land are capable of efficiently farming it.

My bottom line: South Africa was invaded by the Boers and the British. Legacies of their immoral colonialism and racism should be addressed.

Are you kidding me? Is this coming from an American as well? Please read the above.

[Bumbasta]

Fuck it, offer visas to all SA landowners that want it.

Just like Europe should have done for Zimbabweans losing their land. Sadly only Georgia and Australia (if i'm correct) did that.

[matt4pack]

Well, let's be real here. The white South Africans don't really deserve to be there. The reason that most persons of European descent own land in South Africa is directly traceable to colonialism. The control of so much formerly black-dominated land by a white minority in Africa is on some level morally illegitimate.

Now, they can learn lessons from Mugabe's mistakes. Actually pay fair market price for the land and ensure that the black persons buying such land are capable of efficiently farming it.

My bottom line: South Africa was invaded by the Boers and the British. Legacies of their immoral colonialism and racism should be addressed.

Ha i'm sure when they soon become a third world country it'll still be the evil white man's fault. All the blacks will be so much better off i'm sure just like zimbabwe now.

[Deleted]

My bottom line: South Africa was invaded by the Boers and the British. Legacies of their immoral colonialism and racism should be addressed.

What's your bottom line on America, in re: native americans? Just out of curiosity.

[Kalis]

Well, let's be real here. The white South Africans don't really deserve to be there. The reason that most persons of European descent own land in South Africa is directly traceable to colonialism. The control of so much formerly black-dominated land by a white minority in Africa is on some level morally illegitimate.

Now, they can learn lessons from Mugabe's mistakes. Actually pay fair market price for the land and ensure that the black persons buying such land are capable of efficiently farming it.

My bottom line: South Africa was invaded by the Boers and the British. Legacies of their immoral colonialism and racism should be addressed.

So who should the land belong to? The Bantu people are not native to South Africa either.

[Sykol]

Let me guess, black people are in favor of this?