Post by @kalliekriel
81% credible (85% factual, 73% presentation). Kallie Kriel's claim about President Cyril Ramaphosa's admission on the unconstitutionality of section 19 of the Expropriation Act aligns with multiple credible news sources reporting on his affidavit. However, the post omits the context that the admission is part of a request for judicial amendments, indicating omission framing in the presentation.
Analysis Summary
Kallie Kriel's post claims that President Cyril Ramaphosa admitted under oath in a court case by AfriForum that section 19 of the Expropriation Act is unconstitutional. This claim is supported by recent news reports confirming Ramaphosa's affidavit acknowledging issues with sections 19(2), (3), and (4) as unworkable and potentially unconstitutional. However, the admission is part of the government's effort to seek court amendments rather than a full concession on the act's validity.
Original Content
The Facts
The core claim aligns with multiple credible news sources, including BusinessTech, News24, and The Citizen, which report on Ramaphosa's court papers admitting flaws in section 19, though framed as a request for judicial revision rather than outright invalidation. Opposing views from the government emphasize technical fixes over systemic unconstitutionality, but no direct contradictions to the admission exist. Verdict: True
Benefit of the Doubt
The post promotes AfriForum's campaign against the Expropriation Act by highlighting Ramaphosa's admission to undermine government credibility and rally opposition to land reform policies. It emphasizes the unconstitutionality to suggest policy failure, while omitting that Ramaphosa is asking the court to rewrite the section to make it workable, which provides context that the issue is procedural rather than a total defeat for the act. This selective framing shapes perception as a major scandal, potentially exaggerating the implications for political gain in minority rights advocacy.
How Is This Framed?
Biases, omissions, and misleading presentation techniques detected
The post selectively presents Ramaphosa's admission without including the critical detail that it is part of the government's affidavit seeking court amendments to make the section workable, altering the perceived intent and implications.
Problematic phrases:
"Ramaphosa admitted under oath... that section 19... is unconstitutional"What's actually there:
Admission of potential unconstitutionality in subsections 19(2), (3), and (4) as unworkable, with a request for judicial revision per news reports from BusinessTech, News24, and The Citizen
What's implied:
Outright and unqualified concession that the entire section is unconstitutional, suggesting policy failure
Impact: Misleads readers into viewing this as a major government capitulation, heightening opposition to the Expropriation Act and land reform without acknowledging the effort to salvage it through amendments.
Presents the issue solely from AfriForum's challenging perspective, omitting the government's counter-framing that the flaws are technical and fixable via court intervention.
Problematic phrases:
"in the court case in which @afriforum is challenging the Expropriation Act"What's actually there:
Government's affidavit emphasizes amendments over invalidation, as reported in multiple sources
What's implied:
Uncontested validation of AfriForum's challenge
Impact: Reinforces a partisan narrative that undermines government credibility, potentially polarizing readers on land expropriation debates.
Sources & References
External sources consulted for this analysis
https://www.ewn.co.za/2025/05/22/expropriation-act-threatens-constitutional-right-to-private-property-afriforum
https://www.ewn.co.za/2025/05/21/afriforum-wants-court-to-declare-ramaphosas-manner-of-signing-expropriation-bill-into-law-unconstitutional
https://www.politicsweb.co.za/politics/court-challenge-launched-to-declare-expropriation-
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-21/south-africa-group-asks-court-to-rule-expropriation-act-unconstitutional
https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2025-05-21-afriforum-goes-to-court-over-land-expropriation-act/
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/ramaphosa-western-cape-high-court-expropriation-act/
https://www.polity.org.za/article/afriforum-challenges-constitutionality-of-expropriation-act-in-court-2025-05-21
https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/840330/cyril-ramaphosa-admits-expropriation-act-is-unconstitutional/
https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/ramaphosa-western-cape-high-court-expropriation-act
https://www.news24.com/citypress/politics/sunday-ramaphosa-admits-under-oath-that-expropriation-act-article-19-is-unworkable-20251018-0988
https://thestar.co.za/2025-09-28-afriforums-dossier-delivery-to-the-white-house-could-strain-south-africa-us-relations
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-21/south-africa-group-asks-court-to-rule-expropriation-act-unconstitutional
https://iol.co.za/news/politics/2025-05-21-afriforum-challenges-expropriation-act-in-court-cites-threat-to-property-rights/
https://www.ewn.co.za/2025/05/22/expropriation-act-threatens-constitutional-right-to-private-property-afriforum
https://x.com/kalliekriel/status/1887413163894972581
https://x.com/kalliekriel/status/1882648940354351534
https://x.com/kalliekriel/status/1638465996242448384
https://x.com/kalliekriel/status/1889683319845003278
https://x.com/kalliekriel/status/1882724350534856956
https://x.com/kalliekriel/status/1890280720276549935
https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/840330/cyril-ramaphosa-admits-expropriation-act-is-unconstitutional/
https://www.news24.com/citypress/politics/sunday-ramaphosa-admits-under-oath-that-expropriation-act-article-19-is-unworkable-20251018-0988
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/ramaphosa-western-cape-high-court-expropriation-act/
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/courts/afriforum-expropriation-act-highc-court-ramaphosa/
https://dailyinvestor.com/south-africa/88515/president-cyril-ramaphosa-sued-over-expropriation-act/
https://www.africaninsider.com/politics/afriforum-fights-ramaphosas-dangerous-land-bill/
https://centralnews.co.za/afriforum-launches-high-court-challenge-against-expropriation-act-citing-constitutional-flaws/
https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/840330/cyril-ramaphosa-admits-expropriation-act-is-unconstitutional/
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/ramaphosa-western-cape-high-court-expropriation-act/
https://www.news24.com/citypress/politics/sunday-ramaphosa-admits-under-oath-that-expropriation-act-article-19-is-unworkable-20251018-0988
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-21/south-africa-group-asks-court-to-rule-expropriation-act-unconstitutional
https://www.ewn.co.za/2025/05/21/afriforum-wants-court-to-declare-ramaphosas-manner-of-signing-expropriation-bill-into-law-unconstitutional
https://dailyinvestor.com/south-africa/88515/president-cyril-ramaphosa-sued-over-expropriation-act/
https://www.ewn.co.za/2025/05/22/expropriation-act-threatens-constitutional-right-to-private-property-afriforum
https://x.com/kalliekriel/status/1887413163894972581
https://x.com/kalliekriel/status/1882648940354351534
https://x.com/kalliekriel/status/1072489236543275008
https://x.com/kalliekriel/status/1899480007199666385
https://x.com/kalliekriel/status/1032515028958756864
https://x.com/kalliekriel/status/1889683319845003278
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