It’s safe to say that ‘Ramaphoria’ has all but worn off, and around the country talk of moving to Perth has once again begun to dominate the braai chat.

Whilst most progressive South Africans will agree that land redistribution is long overdue, and you have to have your head in the sand to think it’s not, it’s the fact that the ANC will spearhead the process that fills so many with dread.

Over the past 24 years, the party has proven itself incapable of acting in the best interest of the people. Worse than that, it’s acted with complete impunity, often showing scant regard for the lives of South African citizens.

Nail on the head via this tweet from Palesa Morudu:

As the conversation around land expropriation without compensation continues to heat up, Setumo Stone (no relation) has written a pretty powerful article on News24, titled “Who will protect you when the ANC comes for the land?”

Here’s how he kicks things off:

I believe in economic redress, but have been persuaded by circumstances to believe that the ANC government should not drive the land expropriation programme. The ANC, if possible, should never be allowed anywhere near the country’s land.

This feeling is based on a lived experience, and I’m convinced that black people, who are expected to benefit from the expropriation, will be in trouble if the ANC were ever given the extra powers to do whatever it pleases with land. Of course, the ANC is just a political party, so it should not be feared. Political parties are not indispensable.

What is scary is when constitutional institutions, like the office of the Public Protector, choose to turn a blind eye on matters brought to their attention for action.

The driving force behind Setumo’s scepticism stems from a story that starts in 2013, when his family’s struggle with holding onto their own land began.

They were basically forced off their farm by someone connected to disgraced North West Premier and ANC provincial chairperson Supra Mahumapelo (below), and Setumo’s father was imprisoned when he questioned police raids that sought to implicate him in a crime he never committed.

It was all part of the efforts to remove the family from their land, by illegal means, and even when he went to the Public Protector, nothing was done:

I know all of the above because it is my family that suffered the abuse and harassment sponsored by the ANC government. I have since requested a review of the Public Protector’s report, but I will not hold my breath.

There is ample evidence that my family’s ordeal is not isolated. Last week, Business Day reported the story of a black farmer in Limpopo, David Rakgase, who wants the court to force government to keep its promise to sell him the state farm he had leased. The farm was also invaded.

There is also the story of the Mothami sons, also in Mahikeng, who, according to those in the know, lost a farm they were born on to politically connected individuals after their old man passed away. Multiple farms in the area were targeted during that time under the guise that they were underutilised. Senior government officials and prominent persons benefited.

Which leads Setumo to pose the central question:

There is no doubt that the ANC will use its majority to push through the amendment to the property clause of the Constitution. We must hope that when the judges finally give the ANC powers to do as it pleases with the land, they do so with open eyes.

So who will protect you when the ANC henchmen take the land? If anything, this is a small window into the future. It is a microcosm of what could happen when crooked government officials and their ANC-connected acolytes get their filthy paws on land. You are in trouble.

You’ll never please everyone, in a country so often divided along racial and socio-economic lines, but the fact that the ANC is spearheading the process of land redistribution, and thus land expropriation without compensation, is more than worrying.

Cyril Ramaphosa’s failure to rid the party of many Zuma acolytes just shows how deep the rot goes. He might be a decent man himself, but in order to hang onto his political life, he has had to cut deals with many who have long since sold their decency to the highest bidder.

Politics is a dirty game, and nowhere is it dirtier than in the halls of Luthuli House.

[source:news24]