Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African President has signed into law a bill allowing land seizures by the state without compensation – a move that has put him at odds with some right wing members of Democratic Alliance Party who are part of the coalition government with the ANC.
Black people only own a small fraction of farmland nationwide more than 30 years after the end of the racist system of apartheid – the majority remains with the white minority.
This has led to frustration and anger over the slow pace of reform.
While Ramaphosa’s ANC party hailed the law as a ‘significant milestone’ in the country’s transformation, some members of the coalition government have vowed to challenge it in court.
The law ‘outlines how expropriation can be done and on what basis’ by the state, the government says.
It replaces the pre-democratic Expropriation Act of 1975, which placed an obligation on the state to pay owners it wanted to take land from, under the principle of ‘willing seller, willing buyer’.
The new law allows for expropriation without compensation only in circumstances where it is ‘just and equitable and in the public interest’ to do so.
This includes if the property is being used and there’s no intention to either develop or make money from it or when it poses a risk to people.
The president’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said that, under the law, the state ‘may not expropriate property arbitrarily or for a purpose other than … in the public interest’.
He added: ‘Expropriation may not be exercised unless the expropriating authority has without success attempted to reach an agreement with the owner.’
The Democratic Alliance (DA), the second largest party in the government of national unity (GNU), says it ‘strongly opposes’ the law.
The Freedom Front Plus, also in the GNU, vowed to challenge the constitutionality of the law and do ‘everything in its power’ to have it amended if it is found to be unconstitutional.
Meanwhile, health workers at the Dora Nginza Hospital in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) have brought most activity and procedures at the facility to a standstill this week.
Some nurses are on a go-slow strike while many others have been staging protesting outside the hospital, demanding their overtime pay.
Last Monday and Tuesday, workers gathered at the main gate and set tyres alight.
On Wednesday morning, the main gates were locked, blocking entry to both some nurses and patients. But a few protesting nurses managed to get in and disrupted wards and other activities.
On Thursday morning, union representatives and striking staff gathered at the facility to discuss the impasse.
Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) Eastern Cape chairperson, Vuyo Dlanga, blamed the department for not ‘adhering to the method for outstanding overpay as agreed last year’.
He said union representatives had notified the hospital management about the strike.
He added: ‘Our members were inside and only went out to picket.
‘That’s when they were locked out.
‘We have heard that the employer plans to take stern action against employees, but as a union we’ll be monitoring this.’
Provincial secretary of the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers, Mzikazi Nkatha said: ‘The main grievance was that overtime payments had not been paid since October 2024.
‘Workers are forced to work overtime due to staff shortages. This is a major problem across the Eastern Cape.’
Nkatha blamed the department for failing to fix the health system in the province despite numerous concerns raised by unions, and civic groups.
Nkatha said: ‘The department is not bringing a solution to the problem despite us engaging them since 2024.
‘We are now faced with angry workers.’
Nkatha also said the strike at Dora Nginza was a reflection of the situation at all health facilities, not just hospitals in the province.
Several patients who were turned back from Dora Nginza Hospital said that they were very worried about the situation.
Most of them had travelled from areas outside Gqeberha.
A mother who brought her young son from Makhanda for an operation on his broken arm was turned away. She said they woke up early to catch the department’s free patient transport to Gqeberha.
She said: ‘I am dumbfounded and desperate.
‘My son is in constant pain.
‘There are no nurses to attend to anyone so we are forced to go back home.
‘A receptionist told us that we should keep enquiring with our local hospital to check when the strike is over.
‘They did not even give him pain killers.’
Thozama Mjekula of Wells Estate collects her chronic medication from Dora Nginza every two months.
She said: ‘I saw people in wheelchairs being sent back home.
‘I’m unemployed so I can’t even afford to buy medication from pharmacies.’
Eastern Cape Department of Health spokesperson Siyanda Manana warned that striking nurses and staff would be subjected to disciplinary proceedings.
Manana confirmed that the department sent a team to the Nelson Mandela Bay district to deal with the problems at Dora Nginza.
‘Workers blockaded the gate, denying both patients as well as staff entry to the premises.
‘We also heard of staff being forced out of the wards by the striking employees and the fact that the kitchen was closed, denying patients food.
‘We assure the public that there will definitely be consequences.’
Manana said payments of monies owed will run on 5 February and should start reflecting in workers accounts by Monday 10th February.
- A week into the new school year and there remains concern around overcrowding in the classroom.
The Western Cape Education Department is projecting a higher learner/teacher ratio of 1 to 36.7 this year.
Director of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation, Basil Manuel said: ‘And yes, we’re getting reports of overfull schools, overfull classes, where there are promises teachers are coming and even that mobile classes will arrive, and this is disconcerting because we’re already in the second week of school ending and this is not what the WCED promised.’
Manuel warned that weaker learners would not get the attention they needed with more than 50 in a classroom.
He continued: ‘But there are far too many claims suggesting beyond 50, beyond 60 and there are claims of dumping, where certain high schools have been dumped with huge numbers of grade 8s and we understand there’s immigration, but of course, you can’t have your base being so large that it causes a bubble throughout the school for the next five years.’
He said that large classrooms also put strain on teachers and contributed to the early retirement trend.
He concluded: ‘These are people who still have ten, 15 years’ service in them or ought to have and if they leave early, not only do they disadvantage the system because you’re losing people with experience, but they disadvantage themselves because retirement isn’t designed for people to be on retirement for the next 30 years.’
- Government employees are set to decide on whether they accept their employer’s offer of a 5.5 per cent salary increase.
The Public Servants Association (PSA) has indicated that its members, who make up about a quarter of state employees, are set to vote on whether they accept the offer from the government.
The government initially proposed a 5 per cent salary increase as part of a multi-term agreement but increased it to 5.5 per cent earlier last week.
Additional adjustments will be increased in line with the consumer price index (CPI), which according to Statistics South Africa increased to 3 per cent last month.
In terms of the proposed agreement, the CPI will be capped at between 4 per cent and 6 per cent.
Unions also want a death grant for public servants and a working committee will develop the framework for payment conditions within nine months.
On childcare and breastfeeding facilities, the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) will research the readiness of state departments to establish these facilities within six months.
In addition, a bursary scheme for dependants of public servants will be set up and the PSCBC will research a funding model within twelve months.
Cosatu affiliate, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), has also informed its members that this was the government’s final offer.
