The Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in the governing coalition, went to court on Monday to challenge a land-seizure law that United States (US) President Donald Trump cited when cutting off aid to the country last year.
The case has caused friction with the biggest party, the African National Congress (ANC), as the country gears up for municipal elections in November.
DA challenges land seizure law
The Expropriation Act allows the state to seize land in the public interest, in some cases without compensating the owner, as part of efforts to redress the legacy of apartheid.
It has been the subject of lengthy and often acrimonious debate for years, and was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa in January 2025. No land has been seized to date.
The pro-business and mostly white-led DA says the legislation gives the government “vague and sweeping powers” and it will deter investment.
Expropriation Act details, DA concerns
Ramaphosa’s ANC, a former liberation movement, says the legislation is a milestone in its efforts to transform the country’s racially unequal economy, in which the white minority still owns most of the private farmland.
Independent political and governance analyst Sandile Swana said the court case was like a “shadowboxing match” in which the two parties would spar over the issue of land reform without their relationship breaking down.
South Africa’s government has rejected Trump’s criticisms of its land reform policies and says the Expropriation Act is comparable to similar laws in many other countries.
The DA’s case will be heard along with two other legal challenges launched by groups promoting the interests of Afrikaners, descendants of mostly Dutch settlers who Trump has offered refuge, alleging they face discrimination, though South Africa vehemently rejects that claim.
ANC’s stance and coalition dynamics
The ANC and DA teamed up in the coalition in 2024 after an election in which the ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of white minority rule in 1994. Their partnership has been fractious but has remained intact.
- The Democratic Alliance (DA) has gone to court to challenge South Africa’s Expropriation Act, a land-seizure law allowing the state to seize land without compensation in some cases.
- The law, signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in January 2025, aims to address racial inequality in land ownership but has not yet been used to seize land.
- The DA argues the law gives the government overly broad powers and will deter investment, while the African National Congress (ANC) views it as crucial for economic transformation.
- The legal challenge has created tension within the governing coalition of ANC and DA but is not expected to break their partnership ahead of municipal elections.
- The DA's case will be heard alongside other challenges from groups representing Afrikaners who claim discrimination, a claim South Africa denies.
It has been the subject of lengthy and often acrimonious debate for years, and was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa in January 2025. No land has been seized to date.
Ramaphosa's ANC, a former liberation movement, says the legislation is a milestone in its efforts to transform the country's racially unequal economy, in which the white minority still owns most of the private farmland.
