Several Afrikaners have previously marched in Pretoria, supporting President Donald Trump and calling for recognition like Israel.
Image: X (Twitter)
AfriForum has filed an application with the High Court seeking to have the Expropriation Act declared unconstitutional and invalid.
AfriForum maintained that this act, which was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa, contains serious flaws and is a real threat to the constitutional right to private property in South Africa.
In its court submission, AfriForum claims that various sections of the Act are inherently contradictory and should be struck down.
Alternatively, it has requested that specific problematic provisions be declared unconstitutional if the entire Act is not set aside.
The Act empowers the government to acquire property for public purposes, including infrastructure development, such as roads, schools, and utility services, or in the broader public interest, such as land reform initiatives.
“The Act opens the real possibility of the abuse of public power in that every expropriating authority,” Afriforum said in a statement.
This is the organisation that went to the US, requesting President Donald Trump to act only on the ANC leaders whom they accused of targeting white people through the government they lead.
They claimed that land grabs and white genocide were taking place in the country.
These claims contributed to the Trump administration’s imposition of tariffs on South Africa and the granting of refugee status to several white South Africans, with at least 49 reportedly having emigrated to the U.S. under this program.
According to AfriForum’s Ernst van Zyl, the ANC’s top brass has for years now emphasised that the Expropriation Act intends to enable expropriation without compensation and that “nil compensation” means “no compensation”.
“We have heard them highlight their objectives, and we believe them,” said van Zyl.
“We assured our members and the public at the beginning of the year that we would fight this dangerous act both domestically and internationally.”
Meanwhile, AfriForum further welcomed international attention on the issue, adding that the focus President Trump placed on the implications of the Act for property rights in South Africa is “a step in the right direction.”
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
IOL Politics