Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi has warned that if land expropriation without compensation is not done within the limits of the law it would open up South Africa’s old wounds and work against social cohesion and future investment.

Buthelezi this weekend said he supports land expropriation, but found it problematic to take land without compensation, the Sunday Tribune reported.

"I'm deeply concerned by where the expropriation of land without compensation will lead us. I'm not against it, but if we do not handle it with great care it is certain to deter foreign investment," he said at the Kingsmead stadium in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday.

He also said that, if he were an investor, he would have to think twice about investing in a country with land uncertainty.

"If I put myself in the feet of an investor in Europe or America, and I’m asked to go to a country where there’s expropriation without compensation… unless I need my head read, I would not go there.

Buthelezi was also of the view that expropriation without compensation would turn away international investors.

"So we’re not breaking ranks, but we think that we need to be very careful," he said.

This comes after the National Assembly passed a motion to establish an ad hoc committee that will draft an amendment to section 25 of the Constitution to allow land expropriation without compensation.

The motion which was brought to the National Assembly by African National Congress (ANC) chief whip Jackson Mthembu was adopted with 183 MPs voting yes, 77 voting no and no abstentions, News24 reported on Thursday.

The land expropriation without compensation ad hoc committee will consist of 11 voting members of the National Assembly, six from the ANC, two from the Democratic Alliance (DA), one from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and two from other parties.

There will also be 14 non-voting members, with two from the ANC, one from the DA, one from the EFF and 10 from other parties.

The committee which will be chaired by Thoko Didiza has until the deadline March 31, 2019 to complete its work.