The extension for comments on amending Section 25 of the constitution to allow for expropriation without compensation (EWC) has motivated the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) to sign up a million people opposing the Bill.

The IRR handed the names of 200 000 South Africans who were opposed to EWC to parliament on Thursday, just as it was announced that the deadline had been extended to February 29. 

The organisation said on Friday it would now aim to add 800 000 signatures to its tally. 

"Parliament must be aware that there is a groundswell of opposition to the policy of EWC. While land reform and restitution are vital in South Africa, these objectives must – and can be – achieved without destroying property rights, which are a vital cornerstone of any democratic and prosperous society," said the IRR's EWC campaign manager, Hermann Pretorius. 

He added that the country's Bill of Rights and property rights framework existed to give South Africans assurances against governments repeating the injustices of the past. 

"The current attempt to change the constitution threatens the livelihoods of countless South Africans and the homes of more than eight-million black, coloured, and Indian South Africans who have become proud homeowners – something too long denied them and now threatened by a government dedicated to an ideology blatantly at odds with the freedoms of our constitutional dispensation."

Pretorius said the extension deadline was the "first victory" for citizens who opposed the African National Congress's ideology, which would see a repeat of past mistakes. 

"With the deadline extended, the IRR will now focus on convincing another 800 000 South Africans to join it in its efforts. With one-million signatures to deliver to parliament at the end of the consultation process, the message that South Africans will not stand for the mutilation of the Bill of Rights will be louder and clearer than ever."