Thank you, Chair. Deputy Minister, I agree with you that communities are sitting on massive resources. My concern is that may be the department uses a very fine comb to look at which CPAs actually sit on these mineral resources, and then they use that to block
communities to form CPAs. I am going to ask you a specific question about the Bakgatla Ba-Kgafela community. [Interjections.] For years, Chair, they are struggling to form a CPA and I am quoting the Daily Maverick where they say:
Under the land that belongs to Bakgatla Ba-Kgafela lie the richest platinum deposits on earth. But the toxic alliance between government, traditional chieftaincy and major mining houses stood in that way of the community to actually get access to their wealth. [Interjections.]
What is the department doing to ensure that community actually gets access to that wealth that they are sitting on? Are you helping or blocking? [Applause.]
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL
DEVELOPMENT (Mr M Skwatsha): Thank you very much hon Steyn, Bakgatla Ba- Kgafela in the North West Province. Let me just indicate to you that when I was speaking about resources, I was not only speaking about mineral resources. I am speaking about resources in general,
including mineral resources. Even the millions that are sitting with CPAs, those are the resources I am referring to. Let me just quickly say that the issue you are referring to, I fortunately had an opportunity of leading a process of trying to get that CPA together. [Interjections.] We can spend the whole day and night - that particular CPA, in fact, when I was referring in my initial answer about a director-general given a responsibility to oversee a CPA, that's one example of such a CPA. You know what happened when I went there to intervene. On arrival, amongst the members themselves, there were not less than four entities that called them CPAs, including the traditional authority. There has always been various accusations about issues of corruption from members of the department. I specifically said please provide us with the names and the evidence, we will investigate and do something about it. I invite you, hon Steyn. If you do have such information, please, bring it to us and see whether we are not going to take action against such. I thank you.
Thank you very much and thank you to all the Ministers and the Deputy Ministers for your responses today.
-----------------------