Cyril Ramaphosa on Land Reform

Cyril Ramaphosa's core position on land reform is to accelerate the program to redress the historical injustice of dispossession under apartheid, viewing it as a moral, social, and economic imperative. He commits to using all available mechanisms within the South African Constitution to foster conditions for citizens to gain equitable access to land, a commitment which the government has framed as essential for unlocking economic potential and narrowing severe racial inequality. A key piece of legislation reflecting this stance is the new Expropriation Act, signed into law by the president in January 2025, which updates procedures for state expropriation of property for public interest, including land reform, and allows for nil compensation in specific, constitutionally guided circumstances.

His administration emphasizes that land reform must proceed without undermining investor confidence or agricultural output, often stressing the need to protect commercial agriculture which dominates food security. While the ruling party previously supported broad expropriation without compensation, the enacted law focuses on clarifying compensation requirements under existing constitutional mandates, assuring negotiations precede any expropriation steps. Furthermore, economists suggest that the focus should be less on new legislation and more on efficiently distributing land already acquired by the state to black farmers to build an inclusive agricultural sector.