Jaap de Visser and Stephen Berrisford comment on Agricultural Land Bill
The Dullah Omar Institute, together with Stephen Berrisford, made a submission to the Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Bill, 2016. The Bill seeks to regulate development activities on agricultural land in order to protect agricultural production. In essence, it forces municipalities to seek the consent of the Minister of Agriculture before approving the development of agricultural land.
Jaap de Visser and Stephen Berrisford, argue that this Bill contradicts the division of constitutional powers between national and local government. More specifically, it goes against the view, expressed by the Constitutional Court in five judgments, that national government has no power to veto municipal planning decisions.