The debate about redistribution of land in South Africa has been a passionate one, as many South African cities face a housing crunch that has left hundreds of thousands of people living in informal settlements. Just as this debate is starting to reach a fever pitch, one South African city, Ekurhuleni, is about to embark on what mayor Mzwandile Masina calls "a test case" for the nation: the government is going to seize hundreds of acres of land, from private owners, without paying for it to build low-cost housing.

Last month, the city voted in favor of pushing forward with "expropriation without compensation". According to ABC News, this is cited by the African National Congress as a legal rule that is necessary in order to distribute land equitably and correct "historic injustices" that took place in the country.

Almost 25 years have passed since the end of the white minority rule in South Africa. Despite this, white South Africans own most of the individually owned private land in the country, despite representing just 8% of the population. They also make up most of the economic power and have made South Africa one of the most unequitable places to live in the world, according to the report.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said in July that the ANC had planned to amend the constitution in order to allow this expropriation despite the fact that many are concerned that it could destabilize the country, as well as its economy. But the ANC has been working to reassure people that what they’re doing is legal and should not be worrisome. President Ramaphosa said, according to ABC News, that everyone should "relax" about this process and that "it would end up very well". The mayor of Ekurhuleni stated the same thing, saying that landowners in South Africa should not be scared.

Mayor Masina told AP: "Our policy is not to take the land by force. Our policy is to make sure the land is shared amongst those that need it."

The total amount of land that’s going to be expropriated amounts to about 865 acres. The land is both private and government owned, and some of it has been vacant for decades.

This land redistribution is being done to address people awaiting government assistance who are forced to live in "horrible" conditions. The city expects to be taken to court after it notifies private landowners that it is going to try and seize their land. This is apparently part of the plan, as the city seems to feel as though it could be victorious in court. 

Ben Cousins, research chair in poverty, land and agrarian studies at the University of Western Cape told ABC News: "You can't guarantee the outcome. The court may find you do have to pay some level of compensation. It could backfire quite badly."

And Masina is literally laying it all on the line with this decision; as a result of it, the opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, has tabled a motion of no confidence in the Mayor to be heard October 25. The case in Ekurhuleni is supposed to figure out how such land redistribution could take hold in other areas, including urban areas, where demand for land is also intense.

Dikgang Uhuru Moiloa, head of the provincial department of Human Settlements, told ABC News: "We have to be very rational. We can't just chase people out of land, their livelihoods, and providing food for the nation. We can't do that. Those that use the land effectively definitely will have to be left to use the land effectively."

According to the report, there are now more than 1.2 million people that are waiting for government subsidized housing and the backlog continues to grow. More than 11,000 people live in settlements despite registering for government housing as early as the late 1990s. Almost 3 decades have gone by, and many are still waiting.