Hon Chairperson, the DA is finding it unacceptable that at the recent so-called Farmworkers Summit in the Western Cape the ANC misrepresented the DA's plan for equity share schemes, describing them as a confiscation scheme to divide all farms in half and give away 50%.
This is a clear misrepresentation of the DA policy for propaganda purposes. Equity share schemes generally worked well for both farmers and workers in the Western Cape until they were stopped through a moratorium last year. The DA's proposal allows for farmworkers to become part owners of farms that are available for sale and to gain access to high-value agricultural land while retaining the involvement and investment of the commercial farmer, a crucial determinant of long-term viability in land reform initiatives.
The current land reform system has failed to empower the intended beneficiaries in any meaningful way and has, in fact, compromised South Africa's agricultural productivity and the rural communities that rely on it. It is certainly not empowering farmworkers. Just four months ago, Minister Gugile Nkwinti admitted in Parliament that 90% of the 5,9 million hectares of land bought by the state for emerging farmers was not productive. The DA's equity share scheme venture has been a success in the Western Cape because it spreads ownership, shares risk and reward, brings the expertise and experience of both the farmer and the worker together.
The DA will continue to push for equity share schemes on the basis that they are voluntarily, that state subsidies are made available for farmworkers to buy shares and that safeguards exist to protect farmworkers from being exploited. These schemes are and must remain a win-win solution for all. [Applause.]