Chairperson, I also want to welcome all the guests here this afternoon. Mr Minister, land reform, or agrarian reform, is an often controversial adjustment in social arrangements, whereby government administers possession and use of land. Throughout history, public discontent with land-related institutions has been one of the most common factors in provoking revolutionary movements and other social upheavals. I want to quote from a book written by Sol Plaatje. Please listen carefully:
We are told to forgive our enemies and not let the sun go down upon our wrath, so we breathe a prayer that peace may be to the white races, and that they, including our present persecutors of the Union Parliament, may never live to find themselves deprived of all occupation and property rights in their native country, as is now the case with the Native.
Hon Minister, an economically free society is one in which institutions are characterised by personal choice, voluntary exchange, freedom to compete, and protection of person and property. It requires policies that promote open markets, limited government, stable monetary growth, free trade and a strong rule of law. Your department has broken this fine balance that creates a stable environment that leads to the economic prosperity of a country.
The inclusion of the controversial paragraph in your strategic document in the section that deals with the proposed amendments to the Constitution sent shockwaves through an already uneasy agricultural sector. What made matters worse is that you, Minister, your deputy and the director-general sent out contradictory statements that did not do anything to allay the fears of ordinary South Africans.
Hon Minister, Zimbabwe is a constant reminder of how horribly wrong things can turn out if a government does not respect the rights of all its citizens. This situation can turn into a reality here if your department keeps on deflecting attention away from government's inability to manage an effective and efficient land reform programme using legally sound and sustainable measures.
Poverty in South Africa is most dire in rural areas. We all agree. Inequalities between urban and rural areas are on the increase. Government policy since 1994 has failed to address this problem. To date, no coherent vision and strategy for rural development has been articulated. Your efforts to change this are a good starting point, and we acknowledge that.
However, I need to inform you that your department is battling to do even the most basic things correctly. Firstly, one of your regional land claims offices recently changed phone numbers without informing the public. This only came to light after I asked the regional commissioner why they did not answer their phone.
Secondly, Mr Whiskey Kgabo from Limpopo fears for his life after the Limpopo commissioner wrongfully transferred only two portions of his three portions of land to the land claims beneficiaries.
Thirdly, your department ran out of funds for restitution in June last year, after they had a similar problem in 2008. It was not new last year. They still kept on entering into purchase agreements without informing the public of their situation.
Fourthly, after questioning the director-general on the findings by the Auditor-General on the issue that the state does not have a proper land audit, the department answered, "We have boxes full of records." There is no land audit; it is in boxes, Minister! That is what the answer was.
Lastly, land transferred to beneficiaries is in a state of disrepair after the department did not keep their promise to beneficiaries to transfer money for development. It is estimated that the department owes in the region of R6 billion to beneficiaries for post-settlement grants. Where these funds were transferred, no capacity exists to monitor and evaluate progress. This is one of the contributing factors to the fact that 90% of land reform projects have failed.
The following are some statements from judges against the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights:
I wish to express my dissatisfaction with the manner in which the applicant's claim was handled by the Regional Land Claims Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal. The claim has been investigated for more than 10 years without publication thereof.
Here is another quote:
This case has been dragging on at great expense for the second defendant, that is, the farmer. The plaintiffs are sponsored by the state.
Minister, this was not one of those difficult cases, it was a normal case.
On Sunday, a report by Carte Blanche showed alleged misappropriation by staff members of your department in the awarding of farms to beneficiaries. This is due to the fact that your department does not have a risk management plan in place. Hon Minister, ... daar is 'n mooi gesegde in Afrikaans: "Waar daar 'n rokie is, is 'n vuurtjie" [... there is a lovely expression in Afrikaans: "There is no smoke without fire"].
Your department must immediately ask for a forensic audit to get to the bottom of this. It is also not the first time that these kinds of allegations have been made.
Communication with your department hardly ever elicits any response. President Zuma himself commented about the lack of communication with communities and farmers. Minister, even your own office is not responding to urgent queries that I personally sent to you three weeks ago. This situation cannot continue without your urgent attention.
For many years now, landowners have been blamed by the government for causing delays in the land reform programme. These allegations are totally unfounded and are clearly intended to distract attention from the true reasons for this delay.
Minister, dit is nou tyd dat u die bul by die horings pak. Die mense van Suid-Afrika is bereid om hul kant te bring om van grondhervorming 'n sukses te maak. Wat nodig is, is dat u s waarheen die regerende party op pad is met grondhervorming. Steun u die uitlatings soos wat ons weer vanmiddag hier gehoor het, wat s, "Ek weet in elk geval nie hoekom die regering die grond moet koop nie - die boere het dit destyds gesteel"? Of is u regering regtig bereid om by die ooreenkoms soos wat ons aangegaan het met die Grondwet, te hou? Dankie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Minister, now is time for you to take the bull by the horns. The people of South Africa are prepared to do their share to make land reform a success. What we need is for you to tell us where the governing party is heading with land reform. Do you support the statements that we heard here again this afternoon, namely: "I do not know why the government has to buy the land in any case- the farmers stole it back then"? Or is your government really prepared to stick to the agreement as entered into with the Constitution? Thank you.]