Johannesburg, Feb 28 (RHC)-- The South African parliament voted on Tuesday in favor of a motion seeking to change the constitution to allow white-owned land expropriation without compensation.

The motion passed by a wide margin of 241 votes to 83 against. 

The matter has been referred to the parliament’s Constitutional Review Committee, which must report back by August 30.

According to a 2017 government audit, South Africa has a population of over 50 million people and white people own 72 percent of farmland.

Last week, South Africa’s new president, Cyril Ramaphosa, pledged to return the lands owned by white farmers since the 1600s to the black citizens of the country. He added that food production and security must be preserved.

The official opposition Democratic Alliance party (DA) has criticized the motion, saying it will undermine property rights and scare off potential investors.

It’s been more than two decades since the end of apartheid in the 1990s, and the ruling ANC party is still trying to tackle racial disparities in land ownership in South Africa.