Dear Editor
On Friday in Harare President Ramaphosa wrongfully praised Zimbabwe’s land confiscation process in the early 2000s as “essential” and “ambitious.”
The DA condemns and rejects this praise by Ramaphosa for a process which left Zimbabwe in tatters, destroying its economy, destroying its foreign relations, and creating famine for its people.
Because land was not legally transferred, the failed Zimbabwe model praised by Ramaphosa led to crippling financial reparations being due to former farmers and land owners.
Ramaphosa is attempting to whitewash the disaster in Zimbabwe, to create momentum for the ANC’s land expropriation agenda in terms of the Expropriation Act of 2025.
The DA firmly believes in the need to redress the injustices of the past, particularly through fair and lawful land reform that restores dignity and economic opportunity. However, this redress must occur within the bounds of the Constitution and the rule of law which Expropriation Without Compensation does not meet.
The DA, as a governing partner in South Africa’s government of national unity, reiterates that it is not an agreed or formal policy of the South African government to endorse Zimbabwe’s land confiscation programme.
Regards
Willie Aucamp MP
DA National Spokesperson