South Africa’s governing coalition is facing one of its biggest tests yet after the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in the Government of National Unity (GNU), asked the High Court to strike down the country’s controversial Expropriation Act, the same legislation that fuelled a diplomatic dispute with U.S. President Donald Trump and intensified concerns over property rights among investors.
The DA filed papers in the Western Cape High Court challenging the constitutionality of the law, arguing that it gives the state excessive powers to expropriate private property and undermines constitutional protections for property owners.
The party is seeking an order declaring the legislation invalid before it is fully implemented.
The legal challenge marks a rare public confrontation between the two largest parties governing South Africa, exposing deep divisions within the coalition over one of the country’s most politically and economically sensitive policies.
A law at the centre of a diplomatic storm
