South Africa announced on Thursday the first expropriation of a commercial farm after the owner rejected the government's purchase offer.

After two-and-a-half years of negotiations failed to produce a settlement, the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights said an expropriation notice would be served on Hannes Visser, owner of a farm in North West province.

"Indeed having gone through the long tedious process, the submission to the minister was made with a clear intention to expropriate the farm," regional land claims commissioner Blessing Mphela said in a statement.

Mphela said the Land Affairs and Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza approved the expropriation about a week ago.

The government offered to buy the 500-hectare (1,250-acre) cattle and crop farm for R1.75-million (275,000 dollars / 226,000 euros) but Visser rejected the offer, saying his farm was worth three million rand.

Visser told the SAPA news agency he had not officially received the expropriation notice but that he intended to fight it in court.

"I do not recognise the (restitution) claim on my land and cannot be forced to sell at the government's price," he said.

"Should the courts turn out to be my final recourse, I will go that route," said Visser, whose father bought the land in 1968.

According to the land claims commission, who confirmed that this was the first commercial farm to be expropriated in South Africa, the property originally belonged to Abram Molamu.

"The original owners of the property were dispossessed through forced sale transactions" by the apartheid government, Mphela said.

Agri South Africa, which represents commercial farmers, said government was acting hastily.

"If the government goes ahead, this is going to very, very difficult to accept. The consequences of such an act can be far-reaching because it will affect the investment of foreign and local capital in the agricultural sector," Agri SA president Lourie Bosman said.

AFP
Publisher: I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge