Shock request in Parliament: please stop whites and foreigners from buying state land.
In a shock request in Parliament, Department of Land Affairs’ deputy director-general Sipho Sibanda called on Parliamentarians to implement a two-year moratorium on the sale of state land to foreigners and white people, a newspaper has reported.
The Times said Sibanda told Parliament on Wednesday: "A moratorium of about two years, prohibiting the disposal of state land to foreigners, and to nationals who do not qualify for redress under the national land policies and legislation, should be put in place."
Responding to questions, Sibanda said regulating foreign ownership of land was justifiable because more than 63% of the value of all houses was in the hands of companies and foreigners.
While many ordinary South Africans felt richer as they watched their home values rise, the vast majority of people were excluded from the recent property boom.
Many blame foreign buyers for fuelling property prices beyond the reach of many South Africans, though others point out that foreign purchasers help build positive investment sentiment about the continent.
There has been a strong move to keep foreign buyers out of the market, however it appears that white South Africans are also being moved to the centre of the land and property ownership debate.
In 2004, government initiated an investigation into the ownership of land by foreigners. The report, available on www.realestateweb.co.za, was presented to Parliament this week, said the Times.