Skande, ja. [Disgrace, yes.]
Thank you. In addition to that, there was also a culling of livestock, and people were forced to sell their livestock within a specified period. Failure to do so would mean going to jail. That was followed by devastating poverty, hunger and disease. That is why our people are still suffering today.
It is for these reasons that the real Congress of the People, of 1955, came with a powerful statement and declared that the land shall be shared amongst those who work it. [Interjections.] This is the time that government has to come out boldly and allocate land to our people so that they can start agricultural activities to add to food security in our country. We are encouraged that rural development is the number one priority, and it should run parallel with agricultural development.
It is a concern to see the budget allocation of the department decreasing from R3,47 billion in the 2007-08 financial year to R2,53 billion in the 2008-09 financial year. We appeal to Treasury to increase the budget of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, because it is priority number one.
Government must support emerging farmers by teaching them modern farming techniques, soil management, vaccination of their livestock, rotational farming and the employment of more extension officers. During the preceding year, farmers in the Northern Cape, in the Campbell-Papkuil area, were plagued by an animal disease called anthrax and incurred a great loss, because there were no veterinary surgeons.
Hon members, for one typical example of how our people are really neglected by the department, you must visit the Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme. It is one of the biggest irrigation schemes in the whole world, but it serves only big commercial farmers. Adjacent to it, there is a huge community, Taung, with almost 300 000 people, and they benefit nothing from this scheme.
The scheme was built specifically for the white ex-soldiers who participated in World War II. At the end of the war, in 1945, they were compensated by being given farms, implements, houses, schools for their children and finances to start farming. It is this scheme to which our people can only sell their cheap labour during the harvesting season. I am sure that we all know that our fathers, who took part in World War II, were only given a bicycle and a big, heavy solalaphi. [Laughter.]
Not far from this beautiful irrigation scheme, there is the big Spitskop Dam. The dam stretches from the front stoep of the villagers' houses, but they do not even drink water from the dam. It is built on the side of the land which was, or still is, occupied by the villagers, because it is where they used to plough their fields.
Government must build more agricultural colleges, because there is an acute shortage of skills in the department. There is a shortage of veterinary surgeons, as well as extension officers. More land should be given to those who want to farm. Women and youth must be encouraged to pursue agriculture as a career. Farmworkers must be upgraded by being allocated pieces of land so that they can become emerging farmers.
In conclusion, Chair, we call upon the department to fulfil its responsibility to assist our people and develop agriculture so that they enjoy a better life for all. Thank you. [Applause.]