⁍ Land is one of the most emotive issues in South Africa.

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⁍ Most privately owned land remains in white hands.

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⁍ The governing ANC has pledged to speed up land redistribution.

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– South Africa’s government says it has drafted a new law that will allow it to seize land without paying its owners any compensation. The new law, which has the support of the ruling African National Congress party, would allow the seizure of land without reimbursement if it is unused, abandoned, or poses a safety risk, Reuters reports. “The bill brings certainty to South Africans and investors because it clearly outlines how expropriation can be done,” the country’s public works minister said. “The bill outlines circumstances when it may be just and equitable for nil compensation to be paid. It does not prescribe that nil compensation will be paid in all circumstances.” South Africa, where most privately owned land remains in white hands, is one of the most emotive issues in the country. The ANC has promised to speed up land redistribution, but critics say it has been too slow. The party has started a parliamentary process to amend the constitution to make it clear that land can be expropriated without compensation. Critics on the left say the ANC has been too timid in redistributing land, while opponents on the right worry that measures seen as confiscatory might frighten away investors. In a worst case scenario, they point to the hasty and chaotic mass land confiscations that wrecked the economy of neighboring Zimbabwe, though the South African government says no such move would ever be considered. Under the new law, the authorities would be required to negotiate with the owners of land to try to reach an agreement on the acquisition.