Christian leaders are invited to join a ground-breaking meeting in Johannesburg on June 5 to collaborate on a joint Bible-based response on land expropriation without compensation for submission to parliament.
The urgent meeting is being hosted by the Kingdom Policy Institute (KPI) in order for the Church to provide the much-needed leadership” on the land question in a submission to parliament’s Constitutional Review Committee, says the KPI in a media statement released today.
After parliament’s February vote in favour of land expropriation without compensation, the Constitutional Review Committee was set up to review Section 25 of the Constitution and other clauses where necessary, to make it possible for the state to expropriate land in the public interest, without compensation.
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In terms of a public participation process on the land matter, written submissions to the Constitutional Review Committee must be in by June 15.
At the meeting at Vuka Africa in 19 Harley Street, Randburg from 10am to 4pm on June 5, leaders will collaborate in drafting a submission, based on Scripture, on how — or if — Section 25 of the Constitution should be amended.
“Kingdom Policy Institute, a policy formulating lobby group of church leaders and professionals,
hereby invites you and your key delegation, to attend this ground-breaking session to make your
contribution, for the Church to guide land restoration using the Word of God,” says today’s statement.
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Admission to the meeting is free. For logistical reasons bookings should be made now by emailing bookings@kingdompolicyinstitute.org
Following the submission of written submissions by June 15, the further stages of the public consultation process are:
- Provincial hearings to be held from June 27 until August 6
- Oral submissions to be held in parliament from August 7 to 17
- The Parliamentary Review Committee is scheduled to submit its report to the National Assembly
and National Council of Provinces by August 30.
Land is a fixed asset freely given by Yah, our Elohim, the Almighty God for it, including natural resources and commonwealth to be equally distributed for socio-economic wellbeing of all humankind. Elohim commanded that land should not be permanently sold but can leased. If for one reason or another land has been used to pay a debt, that same piece of land ought to be restored to its original owner on the 50th year as part of the jubilee ordained by the Creator and Giver of dominions, God.
Compensation is part of fairness when something has been unfairly taken away.
Since, land was unfairly taken away from the indigenous peoples by colonisers, it must restored to the indigenous people or be compensated. This is a belated land jubilee for the indigenous peoples.
The Land taken from those who are not South African citizens, absent land lords and unused open land kept by corporations for profit making/commercial purposes may not be compensated. Infrastructure must always be compensated. South African citizens of European descent may not be compensated for unused large tracks of land kept for profit making purposes. Farms must treated differently in that a determination of how many hectors of land may owned by one family for farming purposes so that only the surplus farm land may be expropriated with compensation for infrastructural development. Farm workers should be the first to be given that land.
Lastly, the land question should be dealt with on non-partisan, non-racial and non-sexist basis by all the People of South Africa.
True, and this is the way God wanted Land to be managed by the invading Israelites AFTER it had been seized from the indigenous people by conquest. Today the Palestinians are demanding that Land back. This whole Land question is not as simple as Mkangeli describes. Rather what the Christian Land Summit must do is to seek a solution based on God’s own Principles of Government in Jeremiah 9:23,24 et al: Kindness, Justice and (moral) Righteousness in Humility.May our Sovereign God direct this crucial think-tank on June 5th. I’ll be praying.
23w THE THREAT OF LAND EXPROPRIATION WITHOUT COMPENSATION ~ A CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE
The intervention of our God in Nineteen Ninety Four
brought reconciliation like we’d never seen before.
The Constitution that was drafted shortly after that
met fears with reassurance, so we all knew where we’re at.
But all the time there rumbled racist feelings underneath
provoked by certain whites and blacks without a heart for peace.
Each group had leaders who’d inherited their gripes,
and found an easy refuge in the field of ster’otypes:
The ‘Coloured folk are drunkards’, and the ‘Indians lie, for sure’,
the ‘Blacks are always lazy’, and the ‘Whites oppress the poor’.
‘Nigerians deal in drugs’, and ‘Americans are loud’,
all ‘Muslims are the terrorists’, and ‘Christians – they are proud’.
Such prejudice and ster’otypes will nourish what they feel,
but Truth looks at all angles, ascertaining what is real.
For ev’ry statement has some truth, so recognise the whole,
and balance out the pros and cons – let Honesty control.
This Land Expropriation plan brings hope as well as fear:
Some hope it will reverse injustice experienced in past years.
Some fear they’ll lose what they have worked so hard for faithfully,
and neither side relates to friends they’re making multi-racially.
Each side selects from hist’ry what they would want to hear:
the nineteen-thirteen Land Act and Apartheid’s pain severe;
the Battle of Blood River and Farm Murders that take place.
Each side continues sniping, leaving no more barg’ning space.
So: Listen to their other tale that’s equally as true –
though fav’ring other people who’ve diff’rent point of view!
Then pray for consultation in the search for middle ground,
and thank the Lord when this ideal eventually is found.
Let’s pray for farmers who have fed us, now in this hard place,
so many still depend on them, they all need God’s strong grace.
And pray for wisdom to decide how they should plan ahead,
and that God give them and their workers their own daily bread.
Let’s pray for those denied their rights, with vengeance in their mind,
that they’ll obtain fair Justice, and that anger will not grind.
The poor deserve our sympathy and active intervention,
let’s pray and wisely strategise for poverty prevention.
Remember, all are guilty when examined by the Lord
who’ll give to each on Judgment Day their fair and just reward. 2 Cor 5:10
He judges all for deeds they did, and no one’s wholly good, Rom 3:10
God calls us all to turn around and live the way we should. Acts 17:30
Do nothing out of selfishness, be loving in your mind, Phil 2:1-4 (5-11)
and think of Others’ int’rests; to your own be humbly blind.
For all things may be lawful, but not all will edify – 1 Cor 10:23
so work for peace and building up, don’t ruin and destroy. Rom 14:19
Hugh G Wetmore © March 2018
Metre: 14.14.14.14 Tune: Auld Lang Syne