Expropriation Bill passed with huge majority

The Expropriation Bill, which sets out the new ways that the government can take land with compensation, was passed with a huge majority in the National Assembly yesterday, notes a News24 report. The vote was 208 in favour and just seven against. There were no abstentions. 'The Bill will accordingly be sent to the President for assent,' said House Chairperson Cedric Frolick while ANC MPs cheered. The National Council of Provinces passed the Bill on 18 May. The benches of the DA, which objected to the Bill in its current form, were almost empty when the votes were electronically counted and the EFF was not present. The Bill was put to the vote after the Public Works Committee secured agreement on some final touches – among them that a municipality had to tell the expropriating authority within 30 days, instead of 20, if there were any rates due on the targeted property. The DA had indicated it was not opposed to expropriation for compensation, but it was concerned that assets that could be expropriated were not defined clearly enough. It also did not guarantee that compensation would cover any outstanding bank loans for the property.