The ANC and AgriSA, the country’s largest representative body of commercial farmers, will meet on Tuesday to discuss the heated issue of expropriation without compensation.
This follows months of uncertainty in the agricultural sector and the broader economy after the ANC’s initial decision to implement a policy of expropriation without compensation, and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s subsequent announcement that the ANC will recommend that the Constitution be changed.
The meeting was arranged after Deputy President David Mabuza reached out to AgriSA president Dan Kriek.
He will be joined by senior ANC officials, including Paul Mashatile, the party’s treasurer general. It is understood that senior ANC officials have been attempting to encourage dialogue with AgriSA, who represents roughly 29 000 farmers as well as a number of industry specific bodies in the agricultural sector.
Some of the issues which will be discussed at the meeting in Johannesburg includes the impact of the debate on expropriation on the economy and investor confidence and the role of the sector in the commodities value chain. The farming representatives are also expected to acknowledge the moral and historical imperative of equitable land reform and will also seek to assure roleplayers that it is looking to partner the state.
AgriSA’s delegation will be led by Kriek and the organisation’s CEO, Omri van Zyl. Agbiz, the agricultural business chamber, will also attend.
This is a developing story.
