'NO LAND GRAB TALKS'

“No, it didn’t come up at all".

That was the response of Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen when asked if the issue of white Afrikaner farmers was discussed with US officials during his meeting with US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer on Tuesday.

Steenhuisen is the DA leader and ranking member of the Government of National Unity delegation to the United States this week amid rising tensions between the two nations.

Asked whether land expropriation or the Expropriation Act was raised in relation to the white farmers during the meeting with Greer, Steenhuisen responded: “No, it didn’t come up at all.”

He said the emphasis remained on trade and practical cooperation.

Steenhuisen told Newzroom Afrika: “No doubt the matter will come up in the course of the period. And we must be honest, we do have a rural safety problem.

“It affects rural communities harshly due to poor police resources and the difficulty of policing large areas. That’s why we should be seeking partnerships with other countries to improve rural safety through technology and other means.”

He admitted that farmers and farm workers often feel unsafe, but said this was not unique to South Africa.

He said: “What we need is better resource allocation for rural policing and improved synergy between local farming security initiatives and formal SAPS interventions.”

Meanwhile, Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum has filed an application with the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria seeking to have the Expropriation Act declared unconstitutional and invalid.

AfriForum maintained that this act, which was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa, is a real threat to the constitutional right to private property in South Africa.

In its court submission, AfriForum claims that various sections of the Act are inherently contradictory and should be struck down.

Alternatively, it has requested that specific problematic provisions be declared unconstitutional if the entire Act is not set aside.

The Act empowers the government to acquire property for public purposes, including infrastructure development, such as roads, schools, and utility services, or in the broader public interest, such as land reform initiatives.