South Africa's Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in the ruling coalition, has initiated legal action against the Expropriation Act, a law allowing the government to seize land in the public interest, sometimes without compensation.
Signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa in January 2025, the legislation aims to address the enduring racial inequalities in land ownership rooted in apartheid, where a white minority still controls most private farmland. However, the DA argues that the law grants the government overly broad powers that could deter investment.
The African National Congress (ANC), South Africa's largest party and a former liberation movement, defends the act as a significant step toward economic transformation and redressing historic injustices.
The DA's court challenge coincides with two other legal suits by groups representing Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch settlers, who claim discrimination—an allegation rejected by the government. These cases are set to be heard together.
This legal dispute unfolds amid a tense but intact coalition between the ANC and DA, formed after the 2024 elections where the ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since 1994.
Internationally, the law attracted criticism from former US President Donald Trump, who cited it when suspending aid to South Africa. The government has dismissed such criticisms, comparing the Expropriation Act to similar laws worldwide.
