Chiti Makwetu’s farm is a long way away from the main road. That, he believes, is why his government has been ignoring him. One day last September, he complained that efforts to install electricity have been limited to properties near the road—a ploy, he suggested, to convince passersby of the government’s commitment to the area. Meanwhile, land farther from view, like his, has been neglected. “We are literally off the grid,” he said.

The Expropriation Bill of 2020, which is essentially the same as its 2019 predecessor, was gazetted last week. It is intended to supplement the EWC (expropriation without compensation) constitutional amendment bill, which is now being rushed through the final stages of the public consultation process so that the Ad Hoc Committee can present it to Parliament for adoption before the end of the year.

According to the prevailing official narrative, little if anything is more important than ‘the land question’.

As the Expropriation Bill comes ever closer to being signed into law, the ‘land debate’ has come down to earth, descending from the heights of political theory to the realm of practicality.

Nearly two and a half years after lawmakers first introduced the Expropriation Bill in the National Assembly, it now sits with the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).