National Assembly passes Property Valuation Bill

Despite objections from the DA, FF Plus and the ACDP, on 12 March 2014 the ANC majority in the National Assembly ensured the passing of the Property Valuation Bill. The bill, which aims to regulate the prices government pay for land for reform purposes, has now been referred to the NCOP for consideration.

The DA’s Kevin Mileham, Shadow Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, told People’s Assembly that the Portfolio Committee on Rural Development and Land Reform only had three days to deliberate on the bill before it went before the National Assembly for a vote. Furthermore despite the department’s promises of three weeks “the time set aside for public comment was only eight working days”.

“I don’t believe we did justice to the bodies that made submissions on the bill. For example, the Banking Association of South Africa had cautioned that there would be enormous implications for securing of loans if the bill was passed” Mileham said.

In a statement published on politicsweb on 12 March the ANC’s Moloto Mothapo, from the office of the Chief whip, described the bill as “a nail in the coffin of willing buyer willing seller” approach. Mothapo’s statement went on to say that the “passing of the Property Valuation Bill by the National Assembly will go a long way in eradicating the stumbling blocks which have frustrated the pace of land redistribution in the last 20 years. The ‘willing buyer willing seller' approach [characterised by escalating land prices] which has been the central feature of our land reform programme, has not assisted government in achieving its target of delivering 30% of commercial agricultural land to the original owners”.

In response Mileham told People’s Assembly “willing buyer willing seller has not failed, the problem is the state’s failure to support emerging farmers”.

Today the NCOP’s Select Committee on Land and Environmental Affairs was briefed by the Department of Rural Development on the bill. They presentation maintained, firstly, that government “cannot be conceived as a willing buyer” and that Section 25 (3) of the Constitution allows for “compensation for property acquired in the public interest by government, on bases other than, or in addition to market value”.

The bill’s policy proposals include government making greater use of expropriation in it’s land acquisition strategy and that an autonomous Office of the Valuer-General (OVG) be established. The V-G will be responsible for the valuation of properties identified for land reform purposes as well as monitoring the proper, efficient and effective valuation of such properties based on set criteria and procedures.

Following the presentation COPE MP Mafemane Makhubela (Limpopo) asked the department: “Can we get clarity on the definition of autonomy on the office of the Valuer-General?”

After COPE’s Onell De Beer (Western Cape) queried why, considering they own a large portion of land, the department’s consultations had excluded traditional leaders from their stake holders list, the ANC’s Mr G Mokgoro (Northern Cape) also questioned why “the land hungry are not on list of stake holders... the landless should be main stake holders; let them have a voice”.

Committee Chairperson Agnes Qikani (Eastern Cape) instructed the Department of Rural Development to have the responses delivered in writing by 10am the next morning morning.