The Free Market Foundation (FMF) has called for a sustained and coordinated pressure campaign by foreign governments, politicians, and civil groups, urging that they continue pushing until South Africa’s government abandons its plans to confiscate private property. The foundation’s statement, released on February 12 by Martin van Staden, its Head of Policy, emphasizes the importance of international intervention in this issue. According to Van Staden, while efforts from civic groups within South Africa are crucial, the influence of the international community remains essential to ensure that the ANC government stops its approach to land expropriation without compensation.
Van Staden pointed out that the issue of private property rights has gained international attention in the past, citing former US President Donald Trump’s tweet as an example of how foreign influence sparked a dialogue. However, he argued that this issue requires more than just a tweet to make the South African government reconsider its stance. A sustained pressure campaign, according to the FMF, is necessary to prevent the government from moving forward with its plans to undermine property rights.
The FMF’s statement also clarified that their opposition to land reform is not a matter of race but a broader ideological battle between totalitarianism and liberty. Van Staden stressed that many black South Africans understand the potential harm that could come from abandoning secure property rights, indicating that this is a universal concern that transcends racial lines. The FMF further accused the South African government of potentially distorting the narrative about the land reform process, painting it as an issue of land redistribution rather than the broader redistribution of property from the people to the state.
The US has already taken action, cutting funding to South Africa, citing concerns over the alleged dispossession of white landowners. Despite this, the South African government has firmly rejected these claims, calling them misinformation. The ongoing tension surrounding land reform continues to stir debate both within South Africa and on the global stage, with the FMF calling for more significant international pressure to ensure that the country’s property rights are protected.
