Taking What is Not Theirs

Leon Louw gave us some valuable insights into the issues surrounding the land compensation issue in a robust talk which it is fair to say, grabbed the attention of those members present last week.
     He is outspoken and opinionated (and I'm sure will agree to that description) and it all made for a livelier than usual meeting.

Leon Louw of the Free Market Foundation

     He stressed that the issue goes much further than giving the government the right to expropriate farms from white farmers, where the focus in the debate has been up until now. The Free Market Foundation has been talking to black people, both informally and to formal organisations and asking the question whether they would really welcome a country where the government has the power to take your possessions away at a whim.
     The answer is an almost unanimous "no" when put this way.
     President Cyril Ramaphosa's assurances that expropriation without compensation won't be done in a way that is harmful to the economy, is meaningless, he stressed. The president serves a term of 8 years at the most and who knows who will follow him and with what agenda?

Leon Louw state his case while Joan Donet, Paul Kasango, Ian Widdop and Graham Donet listen attentively

     "The president serves for 8 years; a constitutional amendment can last 50 to 100 years," he said.
     Most cases of expropriation, whether it be of land or possessions, would not be handled at Cabinet level, leaving local authorities and lower level government officials to administrate them, with the inevitable corruption, abuse and red tape that implies.
     The real victims would, as usual, be the poor, who won't have the means to fight back in the courts and other avenues.
     "We should be talking about stopping expropriation, not starting it," he said, pointing out that at present if, for example land had to be expropriated to widen a road, white people would get compensated, while black people would just get kicked off the land, as they do not own the title deeds to it.

Graham Donet and I enjoying the meeting

     It was not all just doom and gloom though, and he quoted a number of statistics and instances where the ANC had improved the lives of ordinary people in the decades since 1994.
     "The ANC is needlessly desperate, believing it is losing support and saying crazy stuff and not doing anything."
     He also pointed out that although informal sector is over-regulated, many of the rules never get enforced and therefore the economic outlook looks gloomier than it actually is.
     This was a great topic to tackle, even if it was at 7 in the morning and it would be great if we could get other speakers to provide different perspectives on the issue.

Lyn Collocott and Dave Bradshaw, both from the Rosebank club and both former AG's for New Dawn, were welcome visitors at the meeting

Travelling Members
     Please remember that it is a business meeting this week, following the September board meeting on Friday. Committee chairs will report back on discussions at the board meeting.  
     One of the points that came up is which member belongs on which committee. Please find the list attached with the email for the blog and make a note of where you belong. If anything is unclear, speak to Linda.
     Linda and I will be for the next three Wednesdays after the meeting tomorrow. That also means there will be no blog for the next few weeks.
     Carol will preside over the next two meetings and Paul for the first Wednesday in October.
     Dates to remember and diarise: 5 October: Board meeting; 6 October: Visit to the Vulture Feeding Scheme in the Magaliesberg. Jankees is organising it and we've agreed to take Rotaracters with for the outing.

Chris Landsberg will be speaking at the club

     Professor Chris Landsberg of UJ has agreed to be the speaker on Wednesday, 10 October, which means that the October business meeting will be postponed to 17 October.
     Professor Landsberg is a foreign policy expert and Chair of African Diplomacy and Foreign Policy at the University of Johannesburg and Senior Associate at the UJ School of Leadership.
     His themes will be: South Africa Quo Vadis? and What the Youth Can Do To Get Involved. In the light of the latter we'll be inviting the Rotaract members to join the meeting.
     30 November is the Golf Day, a very important date. Please try to help getting players, sponsorships, prizes and bottles for the Barrow of Booze. Co-ordinate this with Greg Smith and Mike MacDonald.
     A week later, on Friday 7 December we'll be having the annual Christmas Party. Discussions are ongoing, but it sounds as if it will be at Marks Park in Emmarentia and that we'll do our own catering to save on costs.
     A Thought for the Week: Many men go fishing their entire lives without knowing it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)