IFP leader Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi warned that if the expropriation of land without compensation was not handled properly, it could prompt investors to disinvest and reignite racial tensions.
While Buthelezi stressed he supported land expropriation without compensation, he emphasised that it should be done within the confines of the law.
He said it was problematic for the government to take land which it wanted without compensating anyone. “I’m deeply concerned by where the expropriation of land without compensation will lead us.
“I’m not against it.
“But if we do not handle it with great care it is certain to deter foreign investment,” he said.
“If I was a foreign investor and asked to invest in a country where there is expropriation without compensation, I wouldn’t go there unless I needed my head read,” said Buthelezi.
Citing the litany of woes that plagued the country including corruption, Buthelezi said it was the “sunset” not the “dawn”, as President Cyril Ramaphosa was preaching.
He spoke yesterday during an event hosted by the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre Consulate General of India in partnership with the 1860 Heritage Centre at Kingsmead Stadium.
The event was called “Impact of the arrival of Indians on culture in South Africa”.
His comments come days after the National Assembly voted in favour of the adoption of the report to amend section 25 of the Constitution, when 209 MPs voted in favour and 91 against the move.
Without naming anyone, Buthelezi expressed his concerns about politicians who painted Indians as racists, “and less deserving of the fruits of democracy”.
“This is completely unacceptable.
“This anti-Indian sentiment, like any social divisions, must be countered with truth and social cohesion,” urged Buthelezi.
“After all, Indians are not settlers in this country,” he said.
He said Indians should be lauded as some of the greatest patriots.
“It is either we swim together or we sink together.
“If we have a common destiny, which I’m sure we have, than there is no other option. We have to work together,”said Buthelezi.