I need to sound this, hon members: Due to the limited time we have in this debate, we will adhere strictly to our time.
Hon Chair, hon members, as we prepare the way for implementing the objectives of our new Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, we must take stock of what has been done by the Department of Land Affairs, and, based on that, clearly articulate the way forward.
The key mandate of the Department of Land Affairs was primarily to create and maintain an equitable and sustainable land dispensation through the land redistribution, tenure reform and restitution programmes.
As reflected in the 2008-2011 strategic plan, the department revised down the national land redistribution target to 608 000 hectares in order to align with the actual budget allocation. Of that revised target, thus far the department has delivered a total of 443 600 hectares, consisting of 501 projects and benefiting 14 457 persons or groups.
The Commission on Land Restitution settled a total of 653 claims, including 108 claims that were dismissed. This resulted in approximately 394 000 hectares of land being approved for restoration, affecting approximately 30 000 households. Cumulatively, the approved hectares of land for restitution purposes since 1995 is 2,47 million hectares, representing a 10% contribution to the overall target of redistributing 30% of white-owned agricultural land to black farmers by the year 2014.
In terms of forestry claims, great progress has been made with regard to the implementation of the memoranda of agreements signed with Mondi as well as the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry on the settlement of these claims. Much of the deliverables in that regard will be reported on in the forthcoming financial year.
The commission is left with approximately 4 296 complex rural claims to settle, with four of the provincial offices intending to finalise their claims by the end of this financial year. These are the Gauteng office, which is left with only three outstanding claims; the Free State, with 22; the Northern Cape, with 164; and the Western Cape, with 573. The commission will also focus on finalising 1 695 of the remaining rural claims.
While the department developed a post-settlement strategy to effectively support communities after they took transfer of land, this strategy could however not be fully implemented, due to lack of capacity. Mr Speaker, 19 June marks the 96th anniversary of the infamous 1913 Land Act, and despite the process of remedying wrongs created by this notorious legislation, we celebrate the return of peoples to their ancestral land through the restitution process. On Friday, 19 June, we will be in Riemvasmaak, restoring 46 000 hectares of land to the community. We will, together with the community, celebrate the return of their ancestral land. The community will, once again, be the custodians of land that belonged to their ancestors.
The department has recognised that in order to move forward decisively with the land redistribution programme, significant changes will have to be made to the willing buyer, willing seller model of land redistribution. The department will have to investigate less costly alternative methods of land acquisition by engaging with all stakeholders in the sector.
We have heard the landless people. They say that the willing buyer, willing seller model does not work. We have heard the ANC's 52nd national conference in 2007. It said the model does not work. We now need to hear the landed folk of our country. We will be seeking a much more pragmatic formula to land redistribution, one which should address the issue as part of our country's ongoing effort at national reconciliation. It should not be seen as a superprofit-making business venture. Such an approach would lead our country to a dead end in the long term. Our strongly held view is that land access and ownership should, first of all, satisfy the land needs of South Africans. This objective shall preferably be pursued without the need to amend the Constitution.
Securing people's tenure is the foundation of rural development, and it is imperative that the department reviews policy and legislation which relate to tenure on commercial farms as well as communal areas. As a short-to- medium-term measure we will continue to provide legal assistance to the 2,8 million people living without secure tenure on commercial farms in South Africa. Two very recent Grahamstown High Court judgments in favour of victims of farm evictions in the Cradock and Seven Fountains area are encouraging in this regard.
Side by side with this aggressive legal protection of the rights of farm tenants and workers on white commercial farms, the former homeland areas will become a central focus of the government's Comprehensive Rural Development Programme for the next five years. The strategy for the implementation of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme and land reform is agrarian transformation, a sustained rapid and fundamental change in the relations of land, livestock, cropping and community for sustainable growth and development. Relying heavily on the Freedom Charter, the 2005 January 8 statement of the ANC had the following to say in this regard, and I quote:
The democratic state must take the lead in the transformation of our economy away from the fetters of the past, which constrain growth and development. Among the mechanisms that the developmental state deploys to restore the national wealth of our country to the people are: Sustained and substantial investment in economic and social infrastructure, built with methods with a bias towards labour-intensive technologies; increasing the access of the masses of the people to physical resources, particularly land, housing and community infrastructure; poverty reduction and eradication through job creation, skills development and budget interventions to increase the social wage, bearing in mind our limited resources; affirmative action, broad-based black economic empowerment and other interventions designed to fast-track the inclusion of the previously marginalized in the mainstream economy and simultaneously transform the structure of the economy; and finally, ensuring the growth and development of our economy to provide the means to achieve the broad goals indicated by the Freedom Charter. Of course, this is what we have to do. As His Excellency the President of the Republic enjoined us during his state of the nation address, we are committed to speedily returning the Land Use Management Bill to this House, after undertaking the necessary consultations. Without this Bill we may not achieve our goal of dealing with the disintegrated apartheid settlement patterns and the inefficiency with which land use decisions are considered. The Land Use Management Bill will also enable us to improve the capacity of our municipalities, especially the rural ones, in land use and management.
Following the reorganisation of the new administration, we have now a new department, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. The Budget Vote which I am presenting today is informed by what we consider to be an interim strategic plan. Our five-year strategic plan for this new term of office will be influenced by a new strategy, based on the new mandate for the government and its key objectives and strategic goals.
The strategy of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform in executing its rural development and land reform mandate is agrarian transformation. Its key objective is the achievement of vibrant and sustainable rural communities. The overall outcome has to be social cohesion and development. The following strategic goals will be pursued in the quest for vibrant and sustainable rural communities: Firstly, the establishment of business initiatives, agro-industries, co-operatives, cultural initiatives and vibrant local markets in rural settings; secondly, the empowerment of rural people and communities, especially women and the youth, through facilitating and mediating strong organisational and institutional capabilities and abilities to take full charge of their collective destiny; thirdly, training rural people in technical skills, combining them with indigenous know-how and knowledge, to mitigate community vulnerability to, especially, climate change, soil erosion, drought, snow, animal disease, flooding, tornadoes, other natural disasters and emergencies, and hunger and food insecurity; and finally, revitalisation and revamping of old, and the creation of new, economic, social and information communication infrastructure and public amenities and facilities in villages and small rural towns.
Our land planning and information branch has the capability to perform crucial land administration tasks, such as mapping, surveying, demarcation, registration of rights on land and overall land use management regulation. All these activities are required, among other things, to guarantee ownership and security of tenure, support land and property taxation, provide security for audits, develop and monitor land markets, protect state land, reduce disputes, facilitate land reform, improve urban planning and infrastructure development, support environmental management and produce statistical data. This capability will be at the cutting edge in our pursuit of the milestones listed above.
We have developed the broad concept of what the new department will look like. This is work in progress, but we have a clear idea about its core thrust, thanks to the resolution of the ANC's 52nd national conference on rural development, agrarian change and land reform. An important element of this resolution is the establishment of a rural development agency. Our work has thus been cut out for us. Secondly, we have to speed up the settlement of processed claims and expedite the processing of remaining ones. This much has been made well understood by the National Land Claims Commissioner and the director-general.
In addition to the points made above, we have agreed that we need to improve the manner in which we work as a department. We have agreed that in both land restitution and land redistribution we must sort out unnecessary institutional constraints in the short term while dealing with external challenges in the medium-to-long term. With respect to the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, we have adopted a three-phased approach: the short-term, medium-term and long-term, linked to phase one, phase two and phase three.
In terms of phase one, we need to focus, though not exclusively, on breaking the back of hunger. We need to energise our people, so that they are able to be full participants in all efforts at pulling them out of poverty. It is during this phase that empowerment and training of people will be intensified. The battle cry for this programme is "Siyazondla! [We take care of ourselves!] Vukuzenzele! [Wake up and do it yourself!] Hi ti Hluvukisa! [We must develop ourselves!] Phezukomkhono! [Get to work!]" This is a homestead and communal land production programme, what could be referred to as a mediated form of subsistence production. The catalytic tool for this programme is social, technical and institutional facilitation. A framework model for employment creation and skills training and development in this regard is being developed. This phase is being piloted in Muyexe Village in the Greater Giyani Municipality in Limpopo. It is going to be replicated in seven other provinces in the next few weeks.
In the medium term, the focus is enterprise development and food security. This programme, which is a joint effort by Rural Development and Land Reform, and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, will be riding on the back of phase one. Its complexity and enterprise lies in the fact that it must encompass the total value add in both cropping and livestock farming. The catalytic tool for this phase is economic, social, information and communication, and public amenities and facilities infrastructure development. All nine provinces should commence with this phase very soon.
Finally, with regard to phase three, in the long term the programme will focus on small, micro and medium enterprises and industries, cultural tourism, co-operatives, vibrant village markets and credit facilities and so on. The catalyst for this phase, though not exclusively, is the Rural Development Agency, riding on the back of phase two. The small rural towns will feature prominently as well during this phase.
Mr Chairperson, we cannot do all this work alone. As we are all very aware, rural development is a transversal function. We are also very aware that for the government to achieve its key objective of vibrant and sustainable rural communities and the long-term outcome of social cohesion and development, rural communities have to be both the object and the subject of all processes affecting them. This is the fundamental assumption underlying the ANC's people-oriented and people-centred development perspective.
In this regard, the role of the following stakeholders cannot be overemphasised: Rural communities themselves, other government departments in both the national and provincial spheres, both tiers of municipal government, farmers, traditional institutions, women and youth formations, people with disabilities, farm tenants and workers, labour unions operating on commercial farms, developmental nongovernmental organisations, the private sector and state-owned development entities.
Co-ordinating and putting these institutions and entities to effective use is a mammoth task. The department will urgently need to establish the two sets of capabilities: A rural development agency and a social, technical and institutional facilitation branch. This urgent task forms part of our organisational structure plans. Once more, extensive consultation will take place with regard to the establishment of the said rural development agency. As will have been noted from the above, the Department of Land Affairs put in place a post-land-settlement strategy but could not implement it due to lack of capacity. Many farms which the government had purchased as part of its land reform programme have been repossessed, auctioned and repurchased, in most cases, by the same white farmers from whom the farms had been bought.
In short, Mr Chairperson, the department lacked strategic capacity to protect and defend the productive assets acquired by the state to empower historically disadvantaged South Africans. This agency will, amongst other responsibilities, provide this sorely needed strategic capacity, one, to follow the rands; two, warehouse farms from the Land Bank; three, make strategic land reform interventions; and, finally, align with or enter into strategic institutional partnerships in pursuit of our rural development and land reform mandate. Further detail will emerge during the said consultations.
As I stated during the debate on the state of the nation address, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform has identified the villages of Muyexe, Dingamanzi and Gongongo in the Greater Giyani Municipality in Limpopo as the pilot site for the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme. In his state of the nation address, and in his reply to the debate on it, the President endorsed this initiative, making it a whole government project. As a department we are very excited about that development.
The Portfolio Committees on Rural Development and Land Reform and on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries raised a big question during our interaction last week. They said: "We have been observing over many years that government departments and entities have not been able to work in an integrated manner. How are you going to make it happen now?" That is the question that has been asked.
Hon Minister, you are left with two minutes.
They cited as one example the failure in terms of integrated development plans in municipalities.
Mr Speaker, there is nothing romantic about poverty, inequality, unemployment, cultural backwardness and social fragmentation. And we dare not romanticise these socioeconomic ills, for they are real and they are very bad, as reflected in rural communities and peri-urban areas across our country. We have to deal with them in a decisive manner. This much has been stated and emphasised by the President in his state of the nation address, his reply to the debate on it and in numerous media interviews - before and since his address. We want to restate what we said during the state of the nation address, that the road to rural development and emancipation will be a long and winding one, but one which, together as a nation, we must undertake if we are to attain our historic mission of bringing about a better life for all our people, irrespective of where they reside in our country. It is only through this national partnership - as the President enjoined us, South Africans, in his state of the nation address - that we have the possibility ...
One minute, hon Minister.
... of making the hopes and aspirations of our people a reality. But one fundamental requirement and the bottom line for a successful and lasting rural development project is that rural communities themselves have to be assisted and encouraged in a sustained manner to organise themselves into disciplined, productive formations through which they can express themselves, in themselves and for themselves, in the spirit of Vukuzenzele, [Wake up and do it yourself!] Hi ti Hluvukisa, [We must develop ourselves!] Siyazondla [We take care of ourselves!] or Phezukomkhono [Get to work]. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon members, Mr Minister, over the past 15 years in the life of our democracy, South Africans have been enjoying all forms of freedom that have been bestowed on us by many sacrifices of thousands of black people in general and Africans in particular, so that we should never go back to the oppressive past and the dark days of apartheid.
Many in the rural areas have pinned their hopes and aspirations on this House and the government in particular, for them eventually to enjoy some of the freedoms enjoyed by the rest of the nation. However, this has not been possible, because, in the words of the 52nd conference of the ANC resolution, and I quote:
Colonialism and apartheid were rooted in the dispossession of African people of their land, the destruction of the African farming and the super-exploitation of the wage labourers, including farm workers and their families. Poverty, inequality and joblessness are the consequences of centuries of underdevelopment and exploitation, consciously perpetrated on the majority of the population, which had its most destructive and enduring impacts on rural South Africa.
Consequently, the structural faults that characterised the apartheid rural economy remain with us today ... Many rural areas still lack basic infrastructure, such as roads, water and electricity supply. This lack of infrastructure entrenches the problems of chronic poverty and limits the potential of communities to sustain economic growth, rural livelihoods and social development.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, acknowledges this fact, that dispossession needs to be redressed and social justice must be restored in order for our land to heal the divisions of the past that were the product of this land dispossession. The supreme law of the land, this Constitution, further agrees that injustice resulted in the deprivation of many Africans of land and freedom. The indigenous people were robbed of all the fundamental human rights, thus creating a class that possesses land and a class that, actually, is landless.
The Constitution further compels all the democratically elected representatives to restore land ownership and economic productivity of all South Africans and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights, in line with the dictates of the Freedom Charter, which states: "The land shall be shared among those who work it."
As would be attested by evidence across the globe that rights cannot be awarded, nor can the economic liberty of any nation be achieved without state intervention, evidence in Latin America shows that no state acting alone without the participation of its neighbours will win this battle. Remember, it is always greener on the other side. If we green South Africa, the Zimbabweans will come over the fence, like we green KwaZulu-Natal and the people in the Eastern Cape go over the fence. This will be the case in this regard as well. Therefore, South Africa must follow the dictates of this Constitution and other laws by responding to this challenge.
South Africans of all shades and creeds accept our position that, and I quote:
Rural development is a central pillar of our struggle against unemployment, poverty and inequality. High levels of rural poverty and inequality inhibit the growth of our economy and undermine our efforts to ensure that growth is more equitably shared among our people.
However, land tenure and access to the land are the biggest constraints for this to be attained. Insecurity of tenure, especially among farm dwellers and people living in former Bantustans, constrains any means of rural livelihoods. In the words, again, of the 52nd conference resolution of the ANC, and I quote:
A more equitable distribution of land is necessary, both to undo the injustices of history as well as to ensure higher productivity, shared growth, employment and sustainable livelihoods ... Successful land reform means integrating land acquisition with support for new farmers. Therefore, our approach to land acquisition should include, where appropriate, planned acquisition and distribution, expropriation and demand-driven market transactions.
You may have heard the Minister talking about the willing buyer, willing seller model not working and this being attested to by many stakeholders, and that the Ministry is now going to talk to the farmers, the landlords and the corporations that hold land to try to find common ground between the two parties.
This House, since 1994, has accepted the constitutional imperative of the restoration of land rights and instructed the democratic government to distribute 30% of agricultural land to the landless South Africans via land restitution and tenure reform with post-settlement support. Only four percent of agricultural land has since been distributed to the landless rural people, and this has not resulted in the realisation of the people's full potential to transform social relations, combat rural poverty and promote rural development. We therefore need to examine why rural life in South Africa condemns rural populations to grinding poverty, ignorance and disease.
The Minister, in the strategic plan of the department, insists that the department is ensuring that adequate resources are available for rural development, land reform and agrarian change at household level, by integrating land and water rights into the common programme, as a means of empowering rural communities to participate in the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme in a way which will restore their freedom.
Over the past 15 years, the democratic government has been guided by section 25 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, and has succeeded in settling 95% of the claims lodged, enabling the restoration of at least 2,3 million hectares of land to victims of racial dispossession.
How can we then redistribute 19,3 million hectares, which is worth R20 billion, over the next five years, if we could not do that over the past 15 years? This is perhaps, in my view, too little land transferred, and dangerously too late for many, as many South Africans are in danger of wallowing in squalor and hunger, as grinding poverty in the rural areas is visiting many of these communities.
To change this, the government needs personnel that are motivated and skilled to speed up redistribution. However, irrespective of the institutional capacity of the department, the framework which guides the department is constraining and gives them impediments. You have heard the Minister talking about willing buyer, willing seller. But additional to that, resources at the disposal of the department are far too limited to succeed within the target times set. This is partly because to redress these imbalances of the past, the government must have enabling laws that can allow the pace and price of land acquisition to be in the hands of the state, rather than in the hands of the sellers.
There are many sellers that impede land acquisition or land tenure rights with regard to vulnerable groups. The state may hold land - I'm addressing your question, hon Trollip - but part of the land that the state holds is for defence purposes, part of it is for environmental purposes, part of it is for future expansion of the current activities of the state ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, the DA welcomes sustainable and equitable land reform and rural development. We view this as a moral necessity to correct the imbalances of the past, and as a fundamental condition to growing our economy to benefit all South Africans. The DA believes in an open opportunity society for all.
The DA welcomes Minister Nkwinti and congratulates him on his appointment as the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform. Since his appointment, he has recognised a need to address problems in the rural areas by drafting strategic plans and a programme of action for his department to work on. The DA welcomes his hands-on approach in the department to lead by example. We have seen, witnessed and heard about his active involvement in all projects in his department.
The DA, however, is concerned about the small budget allocation of R505 million for rural development. This amount was shifted from R2,6 billion for grants under land reform. This budget will limit development in the rural areas. Poverty and lack of infrastructure will continue.
According to a study of the Centre for Development and Enterprise, in 2008- 09 the Department of Land Affairs had R6,6 billion to spend on all its programmes. To put this in perspective: Just a handful of claims on valuable coastal land could cost R1 billion to settle. This was not done. It shows a lack of commitment from officials to serve the nation.
The DA views this portfolio as crucial for rural development, and one which has been neglected for a long time. We extend a hand of co-operation to the Minister's department, while also assuring him of our critical engagement when things go wrong. We will be doing this as a commitment in order to ensure that all South Africans enjoy and share in the wealth of this country.
Minister, when you review the willing buyer, willing seller policy, are you going to consider the market value of property?
The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform faces many challenges. It has inherited one of the poorly functioning departments under the previous Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs. The reality is that many landless people still feel neglected in the democratic dispensation. Our collective task is to address as a matter of urgency the target of reaching 30% of land redistribution by 2014, which seems unachievable.
The previous administration sought to introduce manifestly unconstitutional laws, such as the expropriation Bill, to accelerate land redistribution, but this was not going to work but rather scare off investors. We need to develop legally justifiable laws that would speed up land reform processes, and ensure that new landowners are provided with adequate post-settlement financial and material support. It is indeed an indictment that over 50% of land reform projects are failing because the state does not provide adequate support to the land reform beneficiaries. South Africa cannot afford this when millions of our people face the danger of food shortages, go to bed without food, and are without work. We need to accelerate the settlement process of over 4000 land restitution claims which still remain unsettled, and remove bureaucratic bottlenecks which hinder the settlement process. We need to upgrade land titles to freehold titles with regard to as many South Africans as is legally and economically feasible. It is indeed an anomaly that there are still South Africans who hold their under- apartheid title deeds when we are 15 years into democracy. This is a challenge.
The hon Minister must take swift steps to ensure that the more than one third vacant posts in his department are filled with properly qualified people. We cannot afford cadre deployment, when our people go hungry and remain landless.
Mohl Modulasetulo, re le ba DA, ga re kgotsofat?we ke ma?eleng ao a abet?wego kgoro ye. Re bona ma?eleng a a le fase kudu go phethagat?a dillo t?a set?haba. Re rata go lemo?a mmu?o gore ge ba rata go tlhabolla set?haba, ba swanet?e go se gane ka ma?eleng. Ke kgale dinagamagae di hlokomologilwe, ke ka fao go nyakegago ditirelo t?e nt?i t?a go thiba dikgala t?eo. [T?hwahlelo.] (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)
[Hon Chairperson, the DA is concerned about the small budget allocation for this department because it is not enough to meet the needs of the nation. The government has to allocate enough money to develop the nation. The rural areas have been neglected for a very long time with regard to service delivery, hence the vacant posts. [Interjections.]]
Hon Chairperson, can the member take a question?
No.
Tona o swanet?e go lemoga gore dit?haba t?a dinagamagae di thabet? e go kwa gore di tlo tlhabollwa go swana le dinaga t?a ditoropong. Mopresidente go polelo ya gagwe ya set?haba, o laedit?e gore batho ba magaeng ba swanet?e go hwet?a ditirelo t?e kaone le mabenkele kgauswi le bona gore ba kgone go reka dinyakwa t?a bona kgauswi le moo ba dulago gona. O bolet?e gore ditsela, dintlo t?e kaone, meetse a go hlweka, mo?omo le kellat ?hila di tlo ba gona dinagamagaeng go swana le ditoropong.
Re le ba DA, re sa lla ka mananeo a kgoro ao a hlokago thekgo ya ma?eleng gore a tlo phethagat?wa bjang, gape neng? Ke ka lebaka la eng go dirwa mananeo ao a se nago kabo ya ma?eleng? Ke ka lebaka la eng dit?ema t?a diphaelote t?a dinagamageng di se na motheo, mohlala, set?ema sa phaelote ya Giyani ga se bonagale. Set?haba sa Giyani ga se tsebe mo set?ema seo se lego gona; se kwele ka dikuranta le imbizo gore go nale set?ema Giyane, e fela ga ba bone mo se lego gona. Taba ye e laet?a gore set?ema se, ke sa dikuranteng, diradiong le dithelebi?eneng, e sego lefaseng la Giyani.
Re bone dit?haba t?a magaeng di dira dit?hupet?omegwanto go bomasepala ba Lebowa-Bodikela le Mpumalanga ka sello sa go hloka ditirelo. Re le ba DA, re re ke nako ya gore Kgoro ya Tlhabollo ya Dinagamagae le Tshokollo ya Naga e t ?ee mo?omo wa yona. DA ga e rate go bona kgoro ye e hloka maikarabelo, eup?a e rata go bona kgoro ye e ?omela set?haba. Kgoro ye e swanet?e go ?oma, e sego go lebelela dikgoro t?e dingwe. Re le ba DA, re re mo?omo o a bolela. Re lemo?a gore Tona e tla bonagala set?habeng ge a aba ditirelo t?a motheo.
Set?haba sa ge?o sa dinagamagae se dut?e godimo ga kgatelelo ye kgolo ya go hloka thu?o dinageng t?eo ba di filwego. Dit?haba t?e di nyaka thu?o ya ma?eleng le tlhahlo gore ba kgone go t?wet?a temo pele.
Nakong ya pu?o ya apareteite, balemi ba makgowa ba be ba fiwa dinaga, ba thu ?wa ka ma?eleng le thekgo ya mahlale a temo. Re le ba DA, re ka thabela go bona Tona ya Thlabollo ya Dinagamagae le Tshokollo ya Naga a ?omi?a tsebo ya boradipolasa bao ba tlogelago dipolasa t?a bona. Re rata go bona hlabologo ya motheo nageng ka bophara. Re le ba DA, re dumela gore naga ke ya batho bohle, gomme dit?haba t?ohle di swanet?e go tlhabollwa ka go lekana. Re re menyetla ya tlhabologo e fiwe batho kamoka ba Afrika Borwa.
Dit?haba t?a dinagamagaeng di lla ka kabo ya ditirelo t?a motheo. Dit?haba di nyaka meetse a go hlweka, ditsela t? e kaone, mohlagase le me?omo. Dit?haba t?e t?a dinagamagae di rata go bona hlabologo nageng t?a bona, ke ka fao ba ilego ba t?ea karolo ka bont?i dikgethong t?a naga. Ga go mokgatlo wa dipolotiki o ka thopago dikgetho ntle le thekgo ye kgolo ya badudi ba dinagamagae.
Re le ba DA, re hlompha le go amogela dipoelo t?a dikgetho e bile re holofet?a set?haba gore re tla se ?omela ka potego le ka boikgafo. Re tla dira bonnete bja gore ditshepi?o t?e di a phethagala, ka go hlokomela gore mmu?o o direla batho gore batho ba kgone go hwet? a ditirelo. Ke a leboga. [T?hwahlelo.] [Nako e fedile.] [Legoswi.] (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)
[The Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform must be aware that the people in rural areas are excited about the upcoming developments. The President indicated in his state of the nation address that people in rural areas must get better services and shops in their neighborhood. He also promised that there will be better roads, better houses, running water, sanitation and jobs, just like there are in the urban areas.
The DA is also concerned about how and when the projects that are not budgeted for in the department will be implemented. Why are there projects that are not budgeted for? Why is there no basic planning for pilot projects in rural areas? The pilot project in Giyani is an example of projects that have no sign of existence. The people in Giyani heard about the pilot project from the newspapers and the imbizo, but that is just about it. This indicates that this pilot project only exists in the media but not in Giyani.
We have seen protest marches by communities in rural areas against poor service delivery by the North West and the Mpumalanga municipalities. The DA expects effective service delivery from the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. Actions speak much louder than words. The Minister can only be acknowledged through delivery of basic services.
The rural communities are still underprivileged - they do not get the financial assistance or the relevant training in farming. When white farmers were allocated farms during the apartheid era, they were subsidised financially and equipped with farming skills. The DA would appreciate it if the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform could utilise the experience of the farmers who are now leaving their farms. The DA believes that South Africa belongs to all who live in it and everyone should get equal opportunities.
The communities in the rural areas are complaining about the lack of delivery of basic services - they want clean water, better roads, better houses, electricity and jobs. People in the rural areas participated in large numbers in the latest national elections because they want their villages to be developed. There is no political party that can win the national elections without huge support from people in the rural areas.
The DA respects and accepts the results of the national elections and promises to be loyal and devoted to serving the nation. We are going to make sure that these promises are fulfilled by ensuring service delivery. Thank you. [Interjections.] [Time expired.] [Applause.]]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, Cope welcomes the creation of a special Ministry to focus on rural development and land reform. These two national questions singularly hold the key to the true liberation of our people.
We are firm that while there is a dire need for the development of these areas, the slow pace of land reform creates uncertainty for those who wish to invest in rural areas, due to the unresolved questions of ownership. We welcome the fact that the Ministry recognises this as an immediate issue that must be attended to, and one hopes the Minister will engage with the investors meaningfully, to assure them of the progress and plans regarding the land reform of the areas in question.
Further with regard to rural areas, whether big or small, many of these areas have immense agricultural potential. There must be security of tenure so that farmers can invest capital, take risks and grow their wealth so as to enhance the wealth of the nation. The Minister has to be encouraged in his plan to meet with the traditional leaders, to find an acceptable solution to this problem, for indeed communal ownership as we have it will not deliver the kind of production that is required to feed our people.
In the business plan presented to the portfolio committee, the department bemoans the poor resources allocated to it to acquire land. This is a matter that Cope is happy to see further addressed in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, taking into account the new programmes that the hon Minister will be expected to introduce under this new mandate. In the face of 70% of land still in the hands of the minority, the department has to make these land acquisitions a reality.
Cope bemoans the high prices that have now been attached to the sale of land. The willing buyer, willing seller principle does indeed need to be revisited, albeit with sensitivity. It is essential that all parties involved realise how much is at stake for the country if there is no will to reach an acceptable solution on this important issue. Discussions about the review of this policy need to be speeded up so as to remove uncertainty. It is only logical that this situation will get worse with the recession upon us and the clear depression of the market. Cope strongly supports the call for more resources to be made available for this programme to be pursued with vigour.
On the other hand one will expect and urge the new department to ensure that the trend whereby millions of rands designated for this process are returned to the Treasury unspent year after year is reversed. Otherwise, how do we ask Parliament to vote more money when money allocated to this function has not been successfully spent?
One of the crucial reasons advanced for this dangerous situation is the fact that many posts in the department were not filled, and therefore the department finds itself bereft of the much-needed skills in this area. In the face of unemployment and shortage of required skills, it really needs some innovation to access or build skills required for these crucial areas of our national life. We call for stronger and more innovative partnerships with institutions of higher learning that would use the department's interventions as a training base for budding agricultural scientists and other related budding professionals. Internship programmes need to be doubled in the face of this lack of capacity. In the plans of the department, this element is not clearly announced.
Cope notes positively the department's concern that up to now there has been no adequate and coherent plan of post-acquisition support for new land- owners by government. We urge the hon the Minister to find a remedy to this situation. We also welcome the new department's position against the "use it or lose it" policy. We wish for the Minister to state without equivocation that proper and thorough support for the new owners will be prioritised. The pronouncement made by the Minister in the portfolio committee meeting in this regard needs to be amplified publicly, as it correctly speaks to the constitutional imperative of security of tenure. The Ministry has to strive for security of tenure, which can be in the form of a secure lease or ownership. In Rwanda there have been major land reforms, and an increase in production as a result of giving individuals secure tenure has been evidenced.
We accept the creation, therefore, of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform as the correction of an anomaly where there was no coherent plan for rural development. We would urge the department to form partnerships with relevant university faculties to ensure that its strategies are scientifically informed, to reduce the chances of failure in this bold programme.
There is equally a need for a proper national discourse on this matter, as poverty will be overcome through deliberate efforts to draw in the people. I have noted in the speech by the hon Minister that he has said that the rural communities and people must be subjects and objects of the programme. We would wish to encourage this and call for them to be equipped and inspired with confidence, that they are the key resource that is needed to overcome this problem. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, there is no doubt about the need and urgency to accelerate land reform in our country, and to link it to rural development. We in the IFP support this link and trust that it will better address the plight of the landless, particularly in the rural areas where, according to government reports, over two million households lack space even for gardening.
However, in the IFP our point of departure is that this all-important portfolio has not always been properly handled. To a large extent it has become a hotly contested terrain, often leading to polarisation. There is polarisation between government and traditional leaders, especially where land tenure is concerned. Government policy is seeking to change communal land ownership into individual land ownership. This will aggravate landlessness, leaving land ownership in the hands of the affluent, and this will erode the role of traditional leaders in the administration of land. We appeal to the department to clarify the role of traditional leaders in this respect.
There is also polarisation between established, mostly white commercial farmers and new black entrants to the industry. The new entrants need to be mentored by established farmers, but the atmosphere prevailing in land restitution, especially with so many invalid claims, makes co-operation and mentoring impossible. We hear that the Department of Agriculture is advocating for the reopening of colleges of agriculture and to extend admission to emerging farmers. While the objective is good, colleges fall under the Department of Education, which has its priorities and backlogs to address, other than agriculture.
The crucial question is, of course: In a country with such a dire shortage of skills, why were colleges closed in the first place?
There is also polarisation between the landless living in informal settlements in our urban areas and the municipalities. The shacks of the landless are often bulldozed in a most insensitive fashion on municipal orders, leaving the tenants without a roof over their heads. This is most inhuman and degrading. So much polarisation does not augur well for our young democracy. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, hon members, distinguished guests in the gallery, fellow South Africans ...
Lishonile bonkhosi! [Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.]
Indeed, South Africa has entered into the second decade of freedom with the idea of strengthening its democracy, accelerating progress, and improving the quality of life of its people.
It is evident that the people in the rural areas are impoverished, and still find it difficult to access government services. There are many factors that hinder this situation, for example the issue of exploitation of government by these white farm owners and racial exploitation of the farmworkers and farm dwellers.
Kutfutfukiswa kwemphilo yasemakhaya nekwabiwa kwemhlaba kuyinselela lenkhulu nendzima ledlalwe nguKhongolose. Loku kubonakala ngalesikhatsi Khongolose alwisana nelubandlululo ngekuhlanganyela nebantfu uma abeka umtsetfomgomo wakhe kuFreedom Charter lapho itsi: "Umhlaba wabo bonkhe bantfu labaphila kuwo futsi batawugiyelana nangemnotfo walelive labo."
Kungalowomtsetfomgomo lapho i-ANC yahlala phasi ivumelana nebantfu ngekubona tinselela lebabukene nato eNingizimu Afrika nga-1955 eKliptown. Ngekutfola tikhalo letivela kutinhlanga tonkhe tekutsi hulumende welubandlululo ucindzetela bantfu ngemtsetfomgomo we-Group Areas Act wanga- 1950. Lowomtsetfo bewucindzetela bantfu ngekutsi ubasuse etindzaweni tabo ubalahlele ngaphandle lapho bengenakutfola khona lusito.
Kulesikhatsi sanyalo Khongolose sewufikile ngeke kuphindze kwenteke loko, babe Mandela washo. (Translation of Siswati paragraphs follows.)
[Improving rural development and land distribution is a big challenge and role played by the African National Congress. This was visible during the time when the African National Congress was fighting apartheid by working jointly with the people when it laid down its policy on the Freedom Charter that said land belongs to all the people who live on it and that they will share the wealth of their land.
It is because of this policy that the ANC decided to talk to the people and they jointly agreed because of the challenges they were encountering in South Africa in the year 1955, at Kliptown. They received grievances from people of different nations stating that the apartheid government, with its policy of the Group Areas Act of 1910, was oppressing people. That Act was oppressing people by removing them from their original places and throwing them away in places where they might not get any form of assistance.
This time, the ANC is in power, this will never happen again, so said Mr Mandela.]
It cannot be that after 15 years of our democratic government, there are still a lot of the masses of our people living in abject poverty, while there are progressive policies to remedy the situation. The Polokwane resolution has resonance for ownership patterns in the agricultural sector in South Africa, but also refocuses the agricultural business programme towards rural development and food security. Indeed, it provides a clear indication of where political priorities should be in going forward for the