The National Assembly has adopted a report recommending that section 25 of the Constitution should be amended to explicitly provide for land expropriation without compensation following a majority vote.
The report, compiled by the Constitutional Review Committee, was supported by 209 MPs and opposed by 91, following a robust debate in the House on Tuesday.
Committee co-chairperson Stanford Maila berated opposition parties for insisting that written submissions which were overwhelmingly against an amendment should be given more weight than public hearings in provinces which showed support for an amendment.
"Though it is of no significance, 65 percent of the submissions were against amending the Constitution," said Maila.
He said a legal challenge to the report and the amendment by the political opposition was a foregone conclusion.
Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema said those opposed to land expropriation without compensation were protecting white privilege at the expense of black people.
"This is in defence of white privilege which seeks to perpetuate landlessness among our people," Malema told the chamber.
The Democratic Alliance confirmed that it would head to court to challenge the report.
The Inkatha Freedom Party, Freedom Front Plus, Congress of the People and African Christian Democratic Party all opposed the recommended amendment.
African News Agency (ANA)
