CAPE TOWN – Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti says expropriation of land from white farmers without paying compensation is not ANC policy.

He says the party is unlikely to adopt the proposal at the party’s policy conference in June. The EFF has come out strongly, criticising the ANC for failing to speed up land redistribution.

Nkwinti delivered his 2017/2018 budget vote in Parliament on Friday.

READ: Agriculture minister sees no land expropriation without payment

“There’s no policy of the ANC in any of the conferences of the ANC that speaks of expropriation of land without compensation,” he said.

“I have categorised these calls as aspirational we are going to a policy conference in June, I have not seen it talking about this matter.” 
  
Opposition parties had mixed reactions.

The department has a R10-billion budget for the 2017/2018 financial year and says it will use the bulk to speed up land redistribution by giving more teeth to the National Land Claims Commission.

“This is why now we are talking about turning the land claims commission into a Chapter 9 institution,” said Nkwinti.

Nkwinti says they’re working on legislation to fast- track this.

eNCA