#SOUTHAFRICA: Gov't Plan To Seize White-Owned Land Fails In Parliament

[world politics news]

The National Assembly couldn't pass the amendment to Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for expropriation without compensation on Tuesday.

The ruling African National Congress Party failed to muster the required two-thirds majority as neither the moderate Democratic Alliance nor the left wing Economic Freedom Fighters Party supported the amendment.

In the end, 204 MPs voted in favour of the bill and 145 against, with no abstentions. A total of 267 votes is required for a two-thirds majority. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#SOUTHAFRICA: ANC Defends Process Of Amending Constitution To Take White-Owned Lands

[world politics news]

The ruling African National Congress is dismissing accusations by opposition parties that the process which led to the adoption of a draft report by members of Parliament on changing the Constitution to explicitly provide for land expropriation without compensation was "a sham."

The Constitutional Review Committee adopted recommendations that Section 25 of South Africa's founding document be amended to allow for white-owned lands to be confiscated by the government and redistributed to the majority black population.

Calling land being taking away from blacks by historically white majority governments the nation's "original sin, ANC MP Vincent Smith denied the process was a sham. "It's not about electioneering," he said. "It's about listening to the voices of South Africans and by doing what we doing we actually meeting the expectations of South Africans."

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#USA: New Mexico Land Commissioner Halts Discussion With Feds Over State Land Near Proposed Border Wall

[world politics news]

New Mexico's State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn says he has ended negotiations with the Federal Government to settle a dispute over a piece of state trust land along the border with Mexico. The Federal Government already has constructed a fence as well as a road at the property, but Dunn, who this year switched from Republican to Libertarian, said the Feds do not have a right of way to use the state trust land, and is holding out for more than $54,000 from them to use the land. It has offered just over $8,700. For now, he's placed a "No Trespassing" sign on the state trust land.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#SOUTHAFRICA: Taking Land From Whites Without Compensation Must Be Law, Pres. Ramaphosa Tells Parliament

[world politics news]

Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa has called for the ruling African National Congress to amend the constitution to allow land grabs from white farmers without compensation. Ramaphosa was making good on a campaign promise to return the lands owned by the whites since the 1600s to the country's black population. Economists fear a food production crisis if large commercial farms are seized, similar to one that gripped neighboring Zimbabwe when land appropriation plan was imposed in 1999.

[FULL STORY HERE]