Parliament's public works committee has withdrawn the Expropriation Bill because of the parliamentary process which is underway to review Section 25 of the Constitution dealing with expropriation without compensation.

The African National Congress members of the committee welcomed the withdrawal.

The bill was passed by Parliament in 2016‚ and returned by former president Jacob Zuma in 2017 due to concerns arising from the public participation process followed by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).

In February this year‚ the National Assembly and NCOP adopted a resolution instructing the constitutional review committee (CRC) to review - amongst other possible amendments - Section 25 of the Constitution to make it possible for the state to expropriate land‚ in the public interest‚ without compensation.

The public works committee withdrew the Expropriation Bill in its current form for further reconsideration upon the conclusion of the CRC process.

"As the ANC‚ we reiterate our commitment to pursue the expropriation of land without compensation as one of the measures to ensure that land reform is implemented in a way that increases agricultural production‚ improves food security and ensures that the land is returned to those from whom it was taken under colonialism and apartheid‚" whip of the ANC study group on public works Freddie Adams said.