Vandag is die laaste dag waarop voorstelle oor die wysiging van Artikel 25 van die Grondwet aan die betrokke parlementêre komitee gemaak kan word.
TLU SA Noord-Streek het ook 'n voorlegging gemaak, wat hieronder volledig weergegee word.
Streekvoorsitter Henk van de Graaf het 'n beroep gedoen dat soveel moontlik mense nog vandag van die geleentheid gebruik moet maak om voorleggings in te dien.
TLU SA Noord se voorlegging lui soos volg:
TLU SA Northern Region’s Proposal to Parliament of the Republic of South Africa on the amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa
Introduction
TLU SA is the oldest agricultural union in South Africa and represents mainly commercial farmers since 1897, although the union has also small and upcoming farmers as members.
TLU SA’s vision for South Africa is that wealth is created by economic growth, and that can only be reached in a free market environment in which international investors want to invest and where there is no uncertainty regarding government policies.
Therefor:
Whereas international law does not recognise the concept of expropriation without compensation; and
Whereas the concept of taking any property from anybody without compensation is internationally regarded as theft; and
Whereas it has been publicly stated by government officials and other politicians that the aim of the changing of Section 25 is to take property from a certain race to give to “previously disadvantaged”, which are described as “black, Indian and coloured people”; and
Whereas this is in contradiction with the equality principle of the same Constitution (Section 1), and the benefit of one group does not imply that another group may be disadvantaged; and
Whereas Section 26 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which was signed by the South African Government, explicitly forbids any form of discrimination based on racial grounds; and
Whereas the South African government signed the SADC Protocol on Trade and Investment of 2006, which states that all SADC countries must create a friendly environment for investors by “(a) not expropriating investments, except for public purpose against prompt, adequate and effective compensation”; and
Whereas any form of discrimination is a contravention of the Convention of the Crime of Apartheid, as described by the United Nations in 1976; and
Whereas the South African nation was told by the negotiators of the current Constitution that it is one of the best constitutions in the world,
TLU SA is of the opinion that the proposed amendment is in contravention with several international laws and guidelines, as well as certain sections of the South African Constitution and that any amendments will do the country enormous harm and can result in long and expensive court cases which have to be paid for by government and the tax payers.
Therefore TLU SA recommends that Section 25 of the Constitution’s wording stays as is and not be amended at all.
