Thank you, Chair. Hon Minister, it is common knowledge that the country has an unprecedented high unemployment rate that is at the highest state in which the economy finds itself in. It is not conducive to the environment that is stimulating entrepreneurship and even the survival of small businesses and
farmers that are relying of safe distribution roads and the constitutional right to freedom of movement.
Furthermore, in 2015, the SA Police Service requested all municipalities in North West to apply for a pre-approved interdict for the removal of trespasses on land where they are not supposed to be, but none of these municipalities reacted. Isn't true Minister that since the majority of these municipalities are governed by the ANC and none of them acted before hand that they might be complicit by implication to contributing to job losses and insecurity as a results of service delivery protests that occur and protests that occur as a result of people occupying land, they need to be removed and then resulting in protest action closing access roads in those areas?
The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:
Thank you, hon member. I was trying to follow the question. I think the preamble to the question talks about an issue that all of us as South Africans are concerned about, the issue of unemployment; the issue of the slow economic activity in our country, which all of us must be concerned about.
With regards to the decision that was made in the North West about what municipalities must do and whether they did or did not do, I am hearing from the hon member. I cannot vouch for that. But I don't think it would be correct to say, you know, by not doing certain things which unfortunately I can't even verify, therefore, there was complicity. If you look at the original question, it was asking whether government has measures to deal with, you know, illegal invasion of land without infrastructure.
The second question was whether or not, you know, government can quantify the cost of service delivery protests as a result of failed rural development. I think I have answered that question because the hon member, who raised the question, did not indicate to me what those failed rural development programmes are since 2017 linked to service delivery protests so that we can be able to answer.
Actually, if you look at that question, there were two questions in one, but I was generous enough to answer. To you hon member, I would actually say it's because of complicity of anybody. Land invasion is a challenge that we must address. Where constituencies are raising serious challenges about issues as members of the community, those must be addressed. But all of us, I think are concerns that where some of this service delivery protests happened, they become violent
and therefore impact even on the infrastructure that all of us need. This is one thing that as a country, we cannot applaud. That we can agree on.
But on the blame about who hasn't done what, no, I cannot comment on that. Thank you. [Applause.]