Chairperson, Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, hon members, Cope places considerable emphasis on a comprehensive rural development strategy that is linked to land, agrarian reform and food security. This is strategic priority 3 for the department although it should more correctly have been strategic priority 1.
The need to prioritise land reform and rural development is obvious. Land is a fundamental national asset. Used well and fairly, land can be a launching pad for the equitable distribution of the wealth of a nation. It was never coincidental that the primary aim of the conquests of the past was to acquire land. It should surprise no one, therefore, that land will play a central role in the reversal of such injustices. Land is not only an asset for food security but also a deeply emotive issue because it is part of the self-definition of a people. It is this tightrope that our processes of rural development and land reform must seek to walk.
The Congress of the People supports the department in wanting to aggressively implement land reform policies; stimulate agricultural production with a view to contributing to food security; promote rural livelihoods; ensure that there is food security; improve delivery to ensure quality of life; revitalise rural villages and towns; promote skills development; explore and support non-farm economic activities; build institutional capacity; and stimulate co-operative development.
The Congress of the People wants to keep the above as a perpetual checklist to evaluate monthly progress. We request the Minister to continue keeping the portfolio committee posted on each of the above items.
It is a fact that rural poverty is the result of policies that over centuries deliberately sought to impoverish our people in order to use them as a source of cheap labour. This fundamental injustice of the past has to be reversed and rural life has to be transformed without delay.
We wait to see whether a department dedicated to the task of correcting a fundamental flaw in our society will finally deliver the results we have all been waiting for. The task is too important and the outcome is what will determine our destiny.
The fact that the department is new is common cause. Even so, an enormous sense of urgency must pervade everything the department does. This task has got to be driven with speed, caution, patience and the utmost tact.
Workers on farms as well as rural inhabitants eking out an existence through subsistence farming are among the poorest of the poor in our country. Utmost urgency is demanded in changing the circumstances of their lives. This department must invoke a sense of patriotism among South African people, especially those involved with farming and working with the rural communities, so that they can be at the forefront of defining the relationships that will craft a South Africa that future generations will be proud of.
In rural areas there is a concern that city planners may attempt to change rural areas into pseudo towns. The Minister must ensure that this problem is addressed head-on. At the same time, without sacrificing the sense of communality which is the hallmark of these communities, the goal of economical viability should be realised.
While Cope fully recognises the catalytic role of this department, we also maintain that it must not be squeezed for resources so that it spends its time carrying a begging bowl for the funding of rural projects. This is our rendezvous with history. We cannot afford to fail. We must not fail.
We commend the department for recognising the institution of traditional leadership as a significant stakeholder in this process. We would further urge the hon Minister to develop a concept and a programme that will see rural citizens being afforded landownership rights that are equal to those of urban citizens. This will go a long way in addressing the equality of land tenure within rural communities.
Nonetheless, we are concerned about the pace of restitution. We acknowledge that the department is new but the programmes are not. We urge the department to find a speedy way for the resolution of this problem. Meanwhile, the department should build capacity within communities targeted for restitution so that when their land claims are processed, they will have the experience and the expertise to be able to farm commercially and maintain production at historical levels. The Congress of the People supports this Vote. [Applause.]