May I take the opportunity to welcome to this House the Minister and the Deputy Minister, and call on the Minister to open the debate.
Hon Chair, hon members, as we prepare our way forward in implementing the objectives of our new Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, we must take stock of what the Department of Land Affairs has been doing. On that basis, we must clearly articulate the way forward in terms of the establishment of the new department.
As reflected in the 2008-11 strategic plan, the department revised the national land redistribution target to 608 000 hectares in order to align it with the actual budget.
The Commission on Restitution of Land Rights settled a total of 653 claims, inclusive of 108 that were dismissed. This resulted in approximately 394 000 hectares of land being approved for restoration, affecting approximately 30 000 households. Cumulatively, the approved hectares of land for restitution purposes since 1995 is 2,47 million, representing a 10% contribution to the overall target of redistributing 30% of white-owned agricultural land to black farmers by 2014.
In terms of forestry claims, great progress has been made with regard to the implementation of the memorandum of agreements signed between Mondi and the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry on the settlement of these claims. Much of the deliverables in this regard will be reported on in the forthcoming financial year.
The commission is left with approximately 4 296 complex rural claims to settle, with four of the regional offices intending to finalise their claims by the end of this financial year. These are Gauteng, which is left with only three outstanding claims; Free State with only 22; the Northern Cape with 164; and the Western Cape with 573.
While the department developed a postsettlement strategy to effectively support communities after they took transfer of land, this strategy, however, could not be implemented for lack of capacity.
The department has recognised that in order to move forward decisively in the land distribution programme, significant changes will have to be made to the willing-buyer, willing-seller model of land redistribution. The department will have to investigate less costly, alternative ways of land acquisition by engaging with all stakeholders within the sector. We have heard the landless people; they say the willing-buyer, willing-seller model doesn't work. We heard the ANC's 52nd national conference of 2007; it said the model does not work. We must now hear the landed folks of our country.
We will be seeking a much more pragmatic formula for land redistribution, one which should address issues as part of our country's ongoing national reconciliation project. It should not be seen as a super profit-making business venture. Such an approach would lead our country to a dead end in the long term. Our strongly held view is that land access and ownership should first of all satisfy the land needs of South Africans. This objective shall, preferably, be pursued without the need to amend the Constitution.
Secure land tenure is fundamental to rural development, and it is imperative that the department reviews policy and legislation relating to tenure on commercial farms, as well as in commercial areas. As a short-to- medium-term measure, we will continue to provide legal assistance to the 2,8 million people living without secure tenure on commercial farms in South Africa. Two most recent Grahamstown High Court judgments in favour of victims of farm evictions in areas such as Cradock and Seven Fountains are encouraging in this regard.
Side by side with this aggressive legal protection of the rights of farm tenants and workers on white commercial farms, the former homeland areas will become a central focus area for the government's Comprehensive Rural Development Programme for the next five years. The strategy for the implementation of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme and land reform involves agrarian transformation, and sustained rapid and fundamental change in relation to land, livestock, cropping and communities for sustainable growth and development.
Relying heavily on the Freedom Charter, the 2005 January 8 statement of the ANC had the following to say in this regard, and I quote:
The democratic state must take the lead in the transformation of our economy away from the fetters of the past, which constrained growth and development. Among the mechanisms that the developmental state deploys to restore the national wealth of our country to the people are:
Sustained and substantial investment in economic and social infrastructure, built with methods with a bias towards labour- intensive technologies; increasing the access of the masses of the people to physical resources, particularly land, housing and community infrastructure; poverty reduction and eradication through job creation, skills development and budget interventions to increase the social wage, bearing in mind our limited means; affirmative action, broad-based black economic empowerment and other interventions designed to fast-track the inclusion of the previously marginalised in the mainstream economy and simultaneously transform the structure of the economy; and ensuring the growth and development of our economy to provide the means to achieve the broad goals indicated by the Freedom Charter. Of course this is what we have to do. As His Excellency, the President of the Republic, enjoined us during his state of the nation address, we are committed to speedily returning the land use management Bill to this House after undertaking the necessary consultations. Without this Bill, we may not achieve our goal of dealing with the disintegrated apartheid settlement patterns and the inefficiency with which land use decisions are taken. The land use management Bill will also enable us to improve the capacity of our municipalities, especially rural ones, in land use management.
Following the reorganisation of the new administration, we now have a new department, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. The Budget Vote which I am presenting today is informed by what we consider to be an interim strategic plan. Our five-year strategic plan for this new term of office will be influenced by a new strategy based on the new mandate to the government and its key objectives and strategic goals.
The strategy of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform is agrarian transformation. The overall outcome has to be social cohesion and development. The following strategic goals will be pursued in the quest for vibrant and sustainable rural communities: firstly, the establishment of business initiatives, agro-industries, co-operatives, cultural initiatives and vibrant local markets in rural areas; secondly, the empowerment of rural people and communities, especially women and youth, through facilitating and mediating strong organisational and institutional capabilities and abilities to take full charge of their own destiny; thirdly, training rural people in technical skills, combining them with indigenous knowhow and knowledge to mitigate community vulnerability to, especially, climate change, soil erosion, drought, snow, animal diseases, flooding, tornados and other natural disasters and emergencies, and hunger and food insecurity; and, finally, revitalisation and revamping of old, and the creation of new, economic, social, information communication infrastructure, and public amenities and facilities in villages and small rural towns.
We have developed a broad concept of what the new department will look like. This is work in progress, but we have a clear idea about its core thrust, thanks to the resolution of the ANC's 52nd national conference on rural development, agrarian change and land reform. An important element of this resolution is the establishment of a Rural Development Agency. Our work has thus been cut out for us.
Furthermore, we have to speed up the settlement of processed land claims and expedite the processing of remaining ones. This much has been made well understood by both the National Land Claims Commissioner and the director- general.
In addition to the points made above, we have agreed that we need to improve the manner in which we work as a department. We have agreed that in both land restitution and land redistribution, we must sort out unnecessary institutional constraints in the short term, whilst we deal with external challenges in the medium to long term.
With respect to the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, we have adopted a three-phase approach. Phase one, which deals with piloting the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, is a programme which is being implemented and piloted in the Greater Giyani Local Municipality in Limpopo province.
The medium term, which is phase two, is focused mainly on enterprise development and food security. This programme, which is a joint effort between the Departments of Rural Development and Land Reform, and of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, will be riding on the back of phase one. Its complexity and enterprise lie in the fact that it must encompass the total value added in both crop and livestock farming. The catalytic tool for this phase is economic, social, information communication, public amenities and facilities, and infrastructure development. All nine provinces should commence with this phase very soon.
The long term or the third phase is that the programme will focus on small, micro and medium enterprises and industries; cultural tourism; co- operatives and vibrant village markets, and so forth. The catalyst for this phase, though not exclusively so, is the Rural Development Agency, riding on the back of phase two. The small rural towns will feature prominently during this phase. Hon Chair, let me conclude by stressing that there is nothing romantic about poverty, inequality, unemployment, cultural backwardness and social fragmentation. We dare not romanticise these socioeconomic ills, for they are real and they are very bad. We have to deal with them very decisively, as the hon President said during his state of the nation address to the National Assembly, and when he responded to the debate on his speech.
The government has adopted the Giyani pilot as a national government pilot. This means that rural development will not only be a project of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, but rather a government- wide project. This has encouraged us to ensure that in our responsibilities of facilitating, initiating, co-ordinating and catalysing some of these projects, we will work together with all the departments of government, municipalities and Premiers' offices. We cannot perform this responsibility alone.
But one fundamental requirement and bottom line for a successful and lasting rural development project is that rural communities themselves have got to be assisted and encouraged in a sustained manner to organise themselves into disciplined and productive formations through which they can express themselves, in themselves and for themselves, in the spirit of Vukuzenzele, Hi Tihluvukisa, Siyazondla or Phezu Komkhono. Thank you, hon Chair. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members, officials of the department, comrades and friends, it is a great pleasure for me to extend my greetings to you all.
I feel honoured for having been awarded this opportunity to address this House again. I am tempted to say that the recent national general elections, held on 22 April 2009, were historic and reflected the will of the people. Hence, they came in large numbers to confound those who have consistently claimed that, as we move away from the historic events of April 1994, our people will lose interest in the democratic process. Our people came out in numbers, in defiance of those prophets of doom who were a common feature before the elections.
We are an organisation that represents and listens not only to its constituency but to the entire South African nation. We therefore incorporated these views in our manifesto. It is for this reason that we are proud and confident today that the ANC manifesto represents the views and concerns of the masses of our people.
Xa ndithetha ngomhlaba noMphathiswa, kuza kufuneka sijonge ukuba zisekho na iindawo ezisahleleleke kakhulu ezisafuna ukuba uMphathiswa azihambele ukuze ziphuhliswe.
Njengoko ndisazi isakhono soMphathiswa kwezolimo nakuphuhliso lwamaphandle, akufakwanga mntu ungayaziyo intlupheko yabantu kuba uphuma kwelona phondo lakhe lahlupheka. Xa isabelo sikaMphathiswa siphinda sibekwa, kuza kufuneka acele sibe ngathi sithi chatha kuba ziseninzi izinto ekusafuneka zenzek ile. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[When I mention land to the Minister, we need to establish whether there are places which are severely marginalised that need the Minister's visit in order to be developed.
I know the Minister's strengths on agriculture and rural development; he is the right choice because he knows about people's suffering as he is from the poorest province. The Minister will have to ask for an increase in the next budget allocation because there are many things that still need to be done.]
The Minister has alluded in his address to the total of 635 settled claims, inclusive of 108 claims which were dismissed.
Siyabulela, Mphathiswa, kuba kuyabonakala ukuba eli sebe lizimisele ukusebenza kakhulu. [We thank you, Minister, because it is obvious that this department wants to work hard.]
The Minister also reported in his Budget Vote speech that the department will be in Riemvasmaak, restoring 46 000 hectares of land to the community. Together with the community, we shall celebrate the return of their ancestral land. The community will once again be the custodians of land that once belonged to their ancestors.
We acknowledge that, despite significant progress made over the past 15 years, people living in rural areas continue to face the harshest conditions of poverty, and lack of access to land and basic services. We are also committed to a comprehensive and clear rural development strategy linked to land and agrarian reform.
As members of this House, especially those on the select committee, we have a role to ensure that people living in the rural areas access all relevant services through the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, CRDP, for the next five years. The strategy for the implementation of the CRDP and land reform is agrarian transformation, meaning rapid growth and sustainable development.
While we work on the national programme, it is the provinces who have to implement this programme. The ANC has represented its standpoint and approach to rural development, land reform and agrarian change. It has resolved, among other things, to implement an integrated programme of rural development, land reform and agrarian change based on these pillars.
Xa ndiza kuvala, ndibulela uMphathiswa ngohlobo azinikele ngalo emsebenzini wakhe. Zise khona iindawo ezineeprojekthi ezisafuna ukulandelwa kuba zisifa, kuba kaloku akukho bantu bazijongileyo. Kuza kufuneka ukuba ezi projekthi ziphinde ziqwalaselwe, kujongwe ukuba yintoni ebangela ukuba zife okanye yintoni ebangela ukuba abantu bangakwazi ukuziqhuba. Lilonke, Sihlalo, ndiyasibulela isabelo sakho Mphathiswa. Enkosi. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[In conclusion, I commend the Minister for his dedication to his work. There are still places with collapsing projects that need follow-up because there is no one doing the monitoring of these projects.
These projects will have to be reviewed to establish the cause for this and the reason for the failure to run these projects. In all, Chairperson, I support the Minister's budget. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister Mnqarhwana, hon Deputy Minister and hon members, good afternoon.
Let me start by congratulating hon Mnqarhwana on his appointment as Minister, particularly of this critical department. I'm doing this because I'm talking to a person who knows what it means to transform rural areas, such that a rural person at Gxaku, on the border between Mount Frere and Mount Fletcher, will not see the need to put up a shack in Mount Frere ...
... kuba eleqa ukuba sedolophini. [... because this person is rushing to an urban area.]
I am talking to the hon Minister because he knows what it means to upgrade rural towns, such that the debate about Kokstad is not driven by comparison of infrastructure. I am talking to the hon Minister because he knows what it means to develop the village of Mpame in Elliotdale, such that those deep rural inhabitants see their area as a tourism site.
For me, it means addressing the lack of basic infrastructure like roads, water, electricity and communication supply, and ultimately dealing with and defeating poverty. Basic services do not reach all our people on farms and in rural areas. Access to government services such as education and health care are very weak. Hence, diseases related to contaminated water, such as diarrhoea, are prevalent in rural areas.
The Ministry is therefore charged with the responsibility to cut across and co-ordinate all those government departments and entities that have a stake in the upliftment of the lives of our people in rural areas, and this includes rural towns.
Rural municipalities are in a deprivation trap. This means, if not assisted, they will remain in poverty because of a continuous lack of expertise, particularly in the fields of engineering and financial management.
I know that the hon Minister is very passionate about land and agrarian reform and co-operative development. But, hon Minister, this has to be given direction and be uniformly and speedily implemented, particularly in rural provinces. You will notice that most rural municipalities are sitting on claimed land, and this makes it very difficult, if not a nightmare, for them to engage in development programmes.
Our rural communities should be empowered to deal with poverty through the establishment of co-operatives. Land reform should be informed by the purpose of dealing with, and ultimate defeating, poverty. Hence this process of land reform has to involve thoroughgoing consultation with all political parties, organised traditional institutions, and interest groups involved, so that there is a win-win situation in which everybody can own the programme at end of the day.
The Freedom Charter says: "The land shall be shared among those who work it." It is high time that this noble clause of this noble document be considered. Our people who are getting their land back through the land claims processes should be assisted to optimally use and sustain the condition of the land. The picture of large areas of land lying unused and ultimately being eroded is very bad. This should change and should include the affected communities. This will avoid a situation ...
Hon member, your time has expired.
In conclusion, Chairperson, I want to say that this new Ministry is the hope of rural communities and farm dwellers, as it promises to create and maintain an equitable and sustainable land dispensation. Therefore, I hope and pray that you will do us good. Ningasiphoxi. [Don't let us down.] I thank you.
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, members of the House and guests present, we have been sitting in this House for a long time today, and we are almost a little tired, but I shall try to keep your attention a little longer.
South Africa has a rich history, which is written in the minds of the dead and the living souls. It had been in the interests of the apartheid regime to institutionally undocument the African history, as seen and told by our forefathers, and as continuously conveyed to successive generations. The struggles of the African tribes against invasion and colonialisation still have to be properly documented to tell the story of the life of an African after the arrival of the colonial powers in our country. The systematic massacre of African tribes to steal their land has not been told nor documented. The perpetual indoctrination and colonisation of Africans to subhuman status in the land of their birth continued unabated. All these inhuman acts were calculated to disempower the African tribes socially and economically. The loss of land and stock broke their resolve to withstand these greedy colonisers.
Without opening the gaping wounds of the past, the real Congress of the People held in 1955 declared this, as contained in the Freedom Charter. This declaration talks to land ownership. It presupposed the reversal of the land grab by the white minority invaders. We should remember that the Freedom Charter is not just a historical document, but an important guide about the direction in which we should take our country. It continues to provide an enduring vision of our new democratic South African society.
To live up to the issues that the declaration alluded to, the ANC had identified in its 2009 election manifesto rural development, food security and land reform as one of the five medium-term policy priorities. It does make sense for the ANC-led government to make serious interventions on this matter, as the mandate to do so was received on 22 April 2009. Our government will intensify land reform programmes to ensure that more land is in the hands of the rural poor and will provide them with the necessary technical skills and financial resources to use the land productively.
It is common cause that these interventions will require the commitment of all citizens of this country, black and white. In keeping with the preamble of the Constitution, those who benefited during apartheid rule or inherited land unjustly acquired should recognise the injustices of our past. Pursuant to this, the following measures will be undertaken to review the appropriateness of the existing land redistribution programme: introducing measures to speed up the land reform and redistribution; promoting land ownership by South Africans; and expanding the agrarian reform programme and promoting agricultural co-operatives and agroprocessing in the agricultural areas. These measures will change the face of rural areas for the better.
Ours is a developmental state that is not shy to intervene. We cannot leave reform, redress and sharing of state resources to markets. Successful attempts have been made to undermine the spirit of the land reform programmes aimed at recognising and redressing the injustices of our past. State intervention to foster co-operation with the haves cannot be overemphasised.
Our strategic plan, based on the 2009 Budget, tabled on 11 February 2009, provides for several programmes of the department flowing from the medium- term policy priorities, focusing on rural development and land and agrarian reform, which falls under these seven programmes.
The total number of land claims lodged with the department is just under 80 000. The commission has settled about 95% of these land claims. These enabled the restoration of at least 2,3 million hectares of land to 302 000 households. We therefore still have to deal with 4 200 tricky and more difficult restitution claims before the end of 2011. These claims are mainly affected by budgeting shortfalls, escalating prices, jurisdiction and boundary conflicts, claims at the Land Claims Court, disputes among beneficiaries, and, of course, implementation capacity within the department.
An amount of R1,9 billion is therefore provided for these programmes in the 2009-10 financial year. This amount will enable the department to intensify stakeholder engagement, accelerate research and gazette all outstanding plans before the end of this financial year, establish regional price notches for acquisition of land for restitution purposes, and review legislation and court processes. This work will be topped with the implementation of revised postsettlement support in conjunction with rural development strategies. The land has to be redistributed to the landless masses of our people. The department has targeted the delivery of 30% of prime agricultural land by the end of 2014. This translates to 24,6 million hectares currently held by white farmers. We therefore call upon those who have land to co-operate with the authority in order for us to conclude this process. However, we appreciate the co-operation received in respect of the 5,2 million hectares that have already been redistributed. As this programme is key for food security and rural development strategies more resources will be required in the next financial years to speedily conclude land reform in our country.
Hon Chairperson, the above matters of land restitution and redistribution will require sufficient men and women in the department who have to do things differently in order to achieve improved results. The department needs to further reduce the vacancy rate to a figure less than 10% by the end of this financial year. There is a need to realign certain funded priorities to release resources to key priorities of the department. A number of legislative measures which impact on the land question need to be reviewed and processed to enhance the speedy and successful conclusion of land reform.
In conclusion, the ANC-led government will move with speed on all priorities that seek to transform this unfavourable state of affairs. Of course this will be done within the scope of the limited financial resources. We should not deny the reality of the global recession, which we are not insulated against. As stated in his inaugural speech, President Zuma indicated that the effect of the global recession will impact on the pace of delivery and not on our direction.
Hon Chairperson, I would like take advantage of this budget debate to express my appreciation of the improvement in the performance of our soccer team, Bafana Bafana. There are clear indications that with more practice and effort they will cause a lot of upsets and pain to other countries come the 2010 Fifa World Cup soccer tournament. [Time expired.] Working together we can do more! I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members, this is my first visit to the National Council of Provinces. I am very glad to be here and I found the debates very informative.
One of the things that runs through this debate, the a golden thread, right from the very first debate on Minister Shiceka's Budget Vote, is the fact that the natural resources of our country could be used for tourism and agricultural development, and also fund those governance organisations which are suffering at present. In this regard I would like to refer to South Africa's generally poor agricultural resources. We have only 5 million hectares of high potential soil in South Africa. In terms of rural development, only 30% of this is in the former homelands, and it is not being utilised to any great extent.
The Agricultural Research Council did trials in the Transkei, where the local population was getting 350 kg per hectare, and by doing the right things the yield went up to six tons per hectare and more. Now, those areas of high potential soil have a potential for producing crops far more profitable than maize, but if it was brought under maize it would more than double South Africa's maize yield, which would also be disastrous.
The Agricultural Research Council presented a proposal to Minister Derek Hanekom in 1997, as well as to MEC Stofile, and no response was received at that stage. Very gratifying was the fact that the economic adviser to the Deputy President asked for an updated version of that proposal last year, and we hope that something will emanate from that. But the potential for rural development is immense in those areas where high potential soil is available. The only restraints are high soil acidity and trace element deficiencies, and there is technology available for that. It could be addressed with the right technology and providing the necessary support and guidance to those communal areas. So I would suggest that that receives very close attention.
In terms of the Western Cape's involvement, we would like to improve the relationship between Land Affairs and the provincial Department of Agriculture. Currently it is on uncertain ground. This situation is untenable, as it is preventing a co-ordinated approach to land reform where the provincial department would assume responsibility for the extension and related services necessary for successful projects. We see that land reform is a national competency of the Department of Land Affairs, but a formal agreement with the provinces and in this case the Western Cape is absolutely essential if co-ordinated and effective deployment of resources is to take place.
We would like to see a memorandum of understanding being signed between the two governments, where the successful land redistribution and utilisation need close co-operation between Land Affairs and Agriculture. This would facilitate invitations to and attendance by Land Affairs officials of key provincial meetings and cement a mutually productive working relationship.
The Department of Agriculture wants to be more involved in the identification of suitable farms for land reform, and also in the selection of potential new farmers for these projects. It has on-the-ground knowledge of resources, constraints and possibilities, and has the expertise and capacity to contribute in this respect.
We are concerned about the future of certain projects. At Elandskloof ownership is lacking, as the beneficiaries are grouped together in a community trust. Land Affairs has placed them under administration. Internal strife is leading to rapid deterioration and urgent intervention is required, and the province would certainly be very prepared to help.
The Ebenhaezer claim seems still to be in limbo. Six farms were bought, but to date no farmers have been identified to operate these farms. These include all productive grape farms and two tunnel farms, which are all deteriorating rapidly and they need very urgent attention. The Western Cape Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs needs to arrive at an agreement as soon as possible, in which a common approach to land reform projects is developed, ensuring that new entities that emerge are immediately productive, and beneficiaries are able to rapidly move to sustainable economic independence while resources and infrastructure are maintained and improved. I think this has been one of the problems with many land reform projects in the past. The land is conveyed but the support systems are not in place. The province would certainly like to support the national government in this particular enterprise.
Then, hon Chair, just in conclusion, I noticed the altercation between the hon member De Beer and the hon member Sinclair when they were arguing about what vehicles they were using to promote their particular parties' policies. I think they should think a bit about the words of an Afrikaans poet, Ronnie Belcher, who wrote:
Dis 'n druk ding en 'n sluk ding Dit bring 'n bietjie verligting Ons is op die regte pad Maar dalk in die verkeerde rigting.
I thank you, Madam Chair.
Madam Chair, is the hon member prepared to take a question? The hon member said he would like a memorandum of understanding to be signed between the Republic of South Africa's government and some other government. I wasn't quite sure what other government he was referring to.
Hon Chair, I would like to refer the hon member for Gauteng to the programme, which says "M Walters, Western Cape". Does that answer the question? It is the provincial government.
Hon Chairperson, members of the House, I think before I come to making my contribution to this Budget Vote, let me also just add my concern about the input of hon Walters. I thought I was somewhere else, not in South Africa. As far as I am concerned, this is a unitary state with nine provincial governments. I have never heard of one state signing a memorandum of understanding with a provincial government.
Our new Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, and its predecessor, the Department of Land Affairs, whose budget we are tabling in front of this House today, is central and a key issue in the realisation of a better life for all South Africans. As already tabled by the hon Minister, this department and this budget we are tabling here have to do with a very central asset of the people of this country, which is land, because without land itself, there is no way in which our people can be empowered. This is a universal truth, and it is because of that universality and fundamentality that you found many nations taking up arms against one another, because once you are dispossessed of your most valuable asset, which is land, then you are left with nothing else. We have seen this happening in various parts of the world, through conquests and colonialism, and South Africa was no exception.
It is because of these wars of conquest and colonialism that this department has been given the task by the new democratic government of making sure that we redress the wrongs of the past, and therefore has the responsibility to see to it that there is an equitable distribution of this very important asset. We know what many centuries of conquest and colonialism and apartheid have done, and the many laws which were passed to try to justify and formalise the dispossession of billions of indigenous people of this very important asset, the land.
Over the past 15 years, this department and the democratic government have taken many steps to make sure that this redress can be realised. While a lot of progress has been made in this regard, as the presentation of the Minister has indicated, there is still a lot that needs to be done, and it is very clear that we need to do this much more urgently if we are to avoid a potential ticking time bomb in terms of land hunger. I am sure all of us are very familiar with the developments across our boundaries and we don't want to find ourselves in that situation. Therefore it is in this regard that we call upon all South Africans, irrespective of their political persuasion, to work with us in finding workable solutions in the need to realise this equitable redistribution of land, and we welcome creative suggestions, as South African patriots.
As we look forward to the mandate of this fourth democratic Parliament and the National Council of Provinces and government as a whole, the expectations of our people are quite clear in terms of redressing these wrongs of the past. Determination to do that is clearly captured in the ANC manifesto, which has recently been translated into the Medium-Term Strategic Framework, MTSF, and was adopted by Cabinet late in March. Both in the manifesto and MTSF we have placed rural development, linked to land reform, in the forefront of our priorities over the next five years. We are very clear that the task the voters have given us is a mammoth one, but we want to emphasise again that while a lot of progress has been made, a lot more still needs to be done.
In the area of rural development as well, over and above the question of land redistribution, we are quite conscious of the fact that a lot of progress has been made. It is there, it is indisputable for everybody to see. You just need to go around the various rural areas of our country. Where there were no roads in the past, today we have roads. Where there was no electrical power, today we have power. Where there were no clinics or hospitals, schools and other social amenities, these are there now.
But we are quite conscious of the fact that a lot more needs to be done, and therefore the decision by the ANC and the President to create a specific Ministry and Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to tackle these challenges head-on. The mandate therefore of this new Ministry and department is to consolidate the gains which have been made to make sure that, rather than just being one of the areas of attention by a myriad of departments and spheres of government, there is a champion, a catalyst who will be able to be the one to accelerate this, to make sure that the creation of a vibrant and sustainable rural community becomes a reality.
The aim of this Ministry and department is not to reinvent the wheel and do what has already been done, but to fine-tune those areas which need attention and make sure that various role-players can be brought together from within government spheres, from within national, provincial and local government, from business, from civil society, and from nongovernmental organisations, ensuring that there is a common cause on which all of us can focus.
In order for the department to succeed, we shall really have to make sure that the motto of "working together we can do more" should not just be a slogan, but should actually be put into practice. We expect, in the long term, the end result of this intervention to be rural communities that are comprehensive participants in the full life of our country, in its economic life and in its social and political life.
We are aware that for our people's energies to be harnessed, the issue of food security becomes very central, and, therefore, as our Minister has already indicated, central to this is the question of agrarian transformation. It is really our key instrument in realising the transformation of rural areas. But we want to emphasise upfront that while agrarian transformation is key to our strategy, we are looking at the comprehensive development of rural areas to encompass tourism, mining, construction and other areas of the economy, so that our rural areas are not relegated to focusing only on agricultural activities. Therefore our focus is the comprehensive revitalisation of rural areas.
To do this, it is quite clear to us that we need to rely on the empowerment of our people, because at the end of the day we can bring all sorts of resources to bear - financial, material and the land itself - but if our people are not fully empowered, this will just remain a pipe dream. Therefore the question of social mobilisation and the strengthening of various institutions of leadership in our communities become very important. It is very clear therefore that within the department itself very serious reorganisation will have to be done, and we have already started in terms of making sure that we are properly organised to focus on this mandate.
As we were busy with our campaign before the election, it was clear to us that what our people were looking for was faster delivery. The slogan out there was "akusheshwe" [make it snappy]. People want to see quick intervention and quick delivery. This is what we are committing ourselves to as a department - "akusheshwe" [make it snappy]. It will be a department for doing things fast. In this process we have already started repositioning the department in terms of our strategy, our business plan, and our operational plan, and in this regard we are making sure that we are also branded appropriately, so that people should no longer look at this department as a department of land affairs only, but as a department responsible for comprehensive rural development. We shall also be improving our communication.
In conclusion, we want to say that we are quite certain that this department and Ministry will live by the slogan of "working together we can do more". Thank you, hon Chair. [Applause.]
Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, the stated aim of the Department of Land Affairs is to create and maintain an equitable and sustainable land dispensation that results in social and economic development for all South Africans. Since this has been identified as a national priority, a new Ministry focusing on rural development and land issues has been formed to take this mandate forward. The DA wishes to congratulate Minister Nkwinti on his appointment to this new portfolio.
The overall Budget Vote analysis for 2008-09 and 2009-10 indicates a 0,2% decrease in the budget allocations for the department when inflation is taken into account. The analysis also indicates that the budget for the land restitution programme has a 46,69% decrease in budget allocation, while land reform has a 13,48% increase, which may indicate a shift in priority by the department to land reform.
The Commission on the Restitution of Land Rights has settled over 75 000 claims out of a total of 79 696 claims lodged by the cut-off date, namely 31 December 1998. The commission is projected to settle a total of 1 695 of the 4 560 outstanding claims - this figure might have changed - during the 2009-10 financial year. Some of the challenges faced by the commission, as we have heard, include the high cost of land claims that have been referred to the Land Claims Court for adjudication and disputes involving traditional leaders.
Deputy Chairperson, South Africa still has a large rural population, despite the migration to the cities in search for employment. The national land reform core objective has been to redistribute 30% of the country's productive white-owned agricultural land by 2014 to the landless people. Out of a total land mass of 122 million hectares, South Africa has 82 million hectares of agricultural land. The targeted 30% white agricultural land amounts to 24,6 million hectares.
While rural poverty and unemployment are prevailing problems across the country, agricultural development presents the best opportunity to redress this poverty and to reinvigorate the declining economies of many small country towns, and to stop the migration of people to the already overcrowded cities.
Hon Minister, the DA supports the united, profitable and sustainable agricultural sector in South Africa. The government's confrontational stance to commercial agriculture, as well as the threats to do away with the willing-buyer, willing-seller principle, have resulted in a decline in confidence in the agricultural sector, to say the least. The problems highlighted by the agricultural department state, and I quote:
While agricultural development is the best opportunity to address rural poverty, recent reviews of the land reform programmes and the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme, CASP, indicate failing land reform projects as a result of poor access to farmer support services and unco-ordinated programmes. Smallholder farming is not in a better condition either because of poor access to the same services, including extension services.
While the Washington-based Rural Development Institute stated that, hectare for hectare, smaller holdings generally produce more than larger ones, this has certainly not been the case in parts of South Africa. Extracts from the paper on evaluating land reform's contribution to South Africa's pro-poor growth pattern 2008 show that to date land reform has not significantly changed the socioeconomic aspects of the large majority of the beneficiaries, leading to no significant income distribution. Based on an evaluation of all land reform programmes with a focus on the findings with regard to the land projects of the Molemole Municipality in Limpopo, the paper details that out of 42 projects assessed, only three showed significant development, 20 were entirely abandoned or showed no activity, with only 0,4% of the official beneficiaries benefiting in any way from the projects. At the same time land reform has caused a 89,5% decrease in production as well as many losses on the affected farms.
Several factors contributed to these pessimistic results. Solutions to overcoming these failures are therefore essential. Owing to the historical bias and the sensitive sociopolitical character of land in South Africa, land reform must and will continue.
Deputy Chairperson, I look forward, as a new member of this committee, to visiting projects that have been successful, as well as those not so successful, to gain greater insight into their problems. Hon Minister, the DA also looks forward to a good working relationship with your department to ensure sustainable land and agricultural reform. This agricultural reform must be well planned, efficiently managed and adequately funded, with minimal disruption to food security. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, special delegates and hon members ...
Malungu ahloniphekile nawe Sihlalo, ngizwa ngifikelwa yizinyembezi uma ngabe kukhona abantu abakhuluma ngokuthi kuleli lizwe lethu lokudabuka ku khona abantu okufanele bamukwe amapulazi. Ngonyaka ka-1903, KwaZulu-Natali - ingxenye yeNingizimu Afrika - ukhokho wami iNkosi uDinuzulu, wabanjwa waboshwa e-St Helena ngendaba yezwe. Kodwa namhlanje sekukhulunywa ukuthi kunabantu okufanele bacatshangelwe bese kucindezelwa abantu bakithi. Ngizwa kushisa izinyembezi emehlweni ami ngoba iNdlondlo enophaphe ekhanda yabhadla ejele kanti noyise wafika khona lapha eKapa.
Ngiyacela-ke kuNgqongqoshe ukuthi uma sekuza odabeni lwezemihlaba, azi ukuthi kunamapulazi eduze kwesigodlo si kababamkhulu e-Vryheid. Abantu bakababamkhulu baxhashazwa nsukuzonke kanti ngokomlando waKwaZulu sabehlula thina beNkayishana. Uma ngidlula ngiya eMtuba ngilihamba lonke leli likaMthaniya ngizocela uNgqongqoshe akwenze kube sohleni lwakhe lwezinto ezibalulekile ukuthi ake ahambe ayolibuka leliya lizwe abone ukuthi amaphesenti ayi-100 aloya mhlaba ungowabantu bokudabuka lapha eNingizimu Afrika kodwa ngamaphesenti ayi-13 asebesele nawo njengomhlaba wabo. Kuyihlazo-ke ukuthi emva kweminyaka eyi-15 yenkululeko abantu bakithi basacindezeleka ngale ndlela. Angiphaki yona impi kodwa engikushoyo kumalungu ahloniphekile ukuthi udaba lomhlaba lubucayi kakhulu alubukwe ngendlela enokwakha. Abantu abangabelwanga umhlaba wabo ngendlela abaphinde babelwe ngendlela eyiyona.
Ngiyazi-ke ukuthi bakhona abaholi bomdabu abangavumelani nalezi zinto ngisho neSilo uZwelithini imbala iNkosi yaKwaZulu - ngiyazi ukuthi kuye kuthi uma kukhulunywa ngodaba lokwabiwa komhlaba angathandi ukubandakanywa. Bengiyocela ukuthi uNgqongqoshe ahlele umhlangano wokubonisana nabaholi bomdabu kwazeke ukuthi abantu kufanele banikezwe umhlaba wabo. Ngaleyo ndlela kube nguMnyango wakho othwala umthwalo wokusombulula le ngwadla. UMnyango wakho futhi ubalekelele abantu ngogandaganda ngoba izinkabi azisekho laba bokufika bazijova zonke zaphela. Ngiyabonga Ngqongqoshe ngifisa sengathi isabelo sakho semali singaba yimpumelelo sikwazi ukuqeda ububha kubantu bakithi. Ngiyabonga. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, hon members, I feel tears burning in my eyes when I hear people say that in this country, our country of origin, there are people whose farms must be expropriated. In 1903, in KwaZulu-Natal - a part of South Africa - my great grandfather King Dinuzulu was arrested and sent to St Helena because of land issues. But today, people say that there are others whose cases must be handled with caution, which suppresses our people in the process. I feel tears burning in my eyes because an old experienced and vicious mamba was busted in jail and his father was also captured and sent here to the Cape.
I am, therefore, requesting the hon Minister that when we deal with the issue of land, he must know that there are farms near my grandfather's palace in Vryheid. My grandfather's people are exploited every day whilst according to the KwaZulu history, we, the offspring of Nkayishana, defeated them. When he goes to Mtuba and walks through this land of Mthaniya, I am asking the hon Minister to place this issue on his priority list. He should walk around in that part of the land so that he can see that of the 100% of the land that used to be owned by the indigenous people of South Africa, only 13% of that land is still in their possession. It is, therefore, shameful that after 15 years of freedom our people are still suppressed like this. I am not declaring war, but what I am saying to the hon members is that the land issue is a very delicate matter; therefore, it needs to be viewed in a constructive manner. People whose land claims were not properly addressed should be revisited.
I know that there are traditional leaders who do not agree with these things - even His Majesty King Zwelithini of the Zulus himself. I know that when the issue of land distribution is discussed, he does not want to be involved. I would request the hon Minister to plan a consultative conference with the traditional leaders to enable people to get their land. Therefore, it must be your department that shoulders the responsibility of solving this crisis. Your department should also assist them with the provision of tractors as they do not have oxen anymore since the settlers sterilised them and they consequently perished. I am grateful to you hon Minister, and I wish that your Budget Vote can be approved so that it can end the poverty our people experience. Thank you.]
Thank you, Madam Chair. This is my maiden speech in this august House. I am glad that the ANC-led government has identified job creation and rural development as part of its government's list of priorities. In this financial year, there is a clear indication of how seriously we are regarding both job creation and agrarian reform in this country. The same sentiments were shared in this House by the President of the country, President Jacob Zuma, during his first state of the nation address when he said:
Working together with our people in the rural areas, we will ensure a comprehensive rural development strategy, linked to land and agrarian reform, and food security as our third priority.
Rural development revolves mainly around land or is a matter of land distribution. For that reason it touches the very nerve of our national side, the fears and hopes shaped mainly by our past. We are cognisant of this challenge and what is entailed within the context of our democratic norms and values. We will engage as we see fit to ensure that development in our rural communities does indeed transform the lives of the majority of our people.
Rural development and agrarian reform are integral to the objective of a better life for all for, working together, we can indeed do more to achieve these objectives. As a matter of fact, history tells us that land distribution in our country was biased towards the minority section of our population as a result of the inhuman system of apartheid and separate development. This, in essence, created limits for the majority section of the population in accessing land in their country of birth, both for farming development and residential use. Surely this was done through biased policies which resulted in today's skewed land patterns.
Depriving people in their country of birth is like denying them the right to life. The supreme law of the country, namely the Constitution, particularly section 25, guarantees the people of this country their right to land. This, as we are aware, is premised on the old but very important document of our struggle, the Freedom Charter, citing the victory of our struggle in overcoming injustices. The Freedom Charter long ago declared: "All shall have the right to land." It is in the realisation of this very objective that questions of rural development and agrarian reform must be understood. We are aware of the challenges and hurdles before us and indeed a lot of agricultural land is still in the hands of the minority section of our population. Yet in the same spirit in which the Freedom Charter was adopted nearly 60 years ago, we declare: We dare not fail the masses of our people.
There are a few black people who have acquired land after the introduction of government's progressive land policies and we know that this is not enough. Accessibility to agricultural land is a great hindrance, with most people having limited opportunity to compete even in the commercial centre. With government's rural development programme, this must obviously change. When we took the resolution that by 2014 30% of agricultural land must have been transferred to the majority of the population, we understood the importance of agriculture in transforming the lives of our people. To date only 5% of that land has been successfully redistributed, and we hope that the process will be further accelerated to meet the 2014 deadline.
On our part, and as representatives of the people in our oversight function in particular, we will do what we can to ensure that the deadline is not missed. Indeed, working together we can avoid this ugly situation confronting our people. We don't want to experience the challenges facing our neighbours regarding the land issue. Therefore, failure to act effectively and efficiently to deal with this matter will take our country nowhere. This country must be dealt with equitably, and handled very delicately and as openly as possible. Success in respect of the land issue will be measured by the gains from our progressive legislation, as passed by our Parliament. It is for this reason that the ANC made a special request for the review of land reform projects at its conference in Polokwane.
Esi sigqibo sigxininise ekubeni kukhawuleziswe ukusasazwa kweenkonzo, ingakumbi iindlela kunye nezinye iinkonzo ezifana nombane namanzi okunkcenkceshela, ukuqinisekisa ukuba amaphandle ayesaya kuba ngoozimele geqe ayakwazi ukuba abe nezisetyenziswa ezizezawo, nokuba amafama ayakwazi ukuba azuze kwezi nkonzo simahla. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[This decision is focused on speeding up service delivery, more especially in roads infrastructure and other services such as electricity and water for irrigation, in order to make sure that the former homelands have their own facilities, and that farmers can benefit from these services for free.]
Madam Chair, let me reiterate that land reform is attached to the idea of fighting poverty and equality. We must act decisively to address this challenge. It seems recurrently that the issue of land redistribution in our country is clouded by unnecessary speculation ...
Order! Hon member, your time has expired.
Last paragraph, Madam Chair! [Interjections.] ... and this has led to the delay of agricultural programmes for the people who need these. In order for the government to accomplish this work successfully a commitment from all stakeholders will be required. Thank you, Madam Chair. [Applause.]
Thank you, hon Chair. I wish to thank the hon members for their contributions and their advice. We have been taking notes and we will do the best we can to take on board all the views that have been shared with us here.
Starting with the hon chair, and the issue of postsettlement programmes, we have the strategy, as we said in the report, but we did not have the capacity to implement it. We are building that capacity now. We think that this is one area that will receive a lot of our attention over the next few months.
Indeed, the policy speech is very clear on basic infrastructure: economic infrastructure, social infrastructure, even ICT, and public amenities. We think that these are very vital things to open the minds of especially our young kids in rural areas.
With regard to the question of access to government services by the hon Mlenzana, indeed we see ourselves as catalysts in this regard. We see ourselves as co-ordinating these kinds of functions, and getting other departments involved in rural areas. We think, given the fact that the President himself has profiled rural development, the challenge we have been experiencing historically of not participating - at least from the point of view of national and provincial government departments and integrated development plans -will be resolved. The experience, hon Chair, of Giyani is very instructive in this regard.
Hon Mashile, it is true regarding the vacancy rate. You know, directors are very important in a department, because they are the people who do the actual work, not the planning as such but basically managing and running the projects. This is an area in which we have been found to be wanting and we have taken a strategic decision that we will focus on this area.
Hon Walters, of course the hon members have dealt with the question of government to government. We have spheres of government, one government with three spheres. Therefore it is correct for us to work together, but at the same time to understand the nature of the relationship that has been created by our Constitution in South Africa. We will definitely work with the provincial government of the Western Cape.
The Lutzville-Ebenhaezer land claim has been partially settled. Those farmers who have accepted our offer have been paid out. At the moment we are working with Agri Wes-Kaap to develop a mentoring arrangement with those farmers. So, there is progress being made in that regard.
This is the challenge. In the policy speech we are making the point that one of the things that will have to be done in order for us to expedite the settlement of claims is to improve the manner in which we work. We are busy with an analysis, and in our analysis we have found that if we could improve in this area it could make a huge difference in all the provincial offices. We are looking at the provincial offices and how they work, how they actually do the work of research and interacting with people, and also how they make people understand the status of their claims, because this is key. People don't understand. We think people don't understand because they don't have the information. From our point of view, we think this is an area we need to deal with.
Of course, when it comes to willing-buyer, willing-seller, there is a myth about investors and markets. Investors want certainty; that is what they want. They want to know about the policy of this country. We need to get to a point where we make it clear to them so that they understand - because investors do understand - that this government is unable to raise R71 billion over the next five years, between now and 2014, in order for it to be able to buy 30% of the 82 million hectares of land. We need to make people understand, even those who own the land, that it is impossible for us to achieve this target, because we don't have the money. I think it should be very clear to everyone that this is the route we are going to have to go.
We have to go to them and say: "Fellow South Africans, we are unable to buy this land with this amount of money, especially under the current economic recession in the world." But at the same time we must continue to contribute to national reconciliation, and therefore convert this whole notion of land as a superprofit-making venture by becoming part of the effort of all South Africans to work together and reconcile the haves and the have-nots.
You know, Anton Rupert said: "If they don't eat, we won't sleep." [As hulle nie eet nie, sal ons nie slaap nie.]
He was talking about the fact that if we continue to deny the majority of our people, particularly black people, in this country access to and ownership of land, we will not even enjoy that which we do have. It will be a matter of time. That will happen. As government we must avoid that. We must lead the country away from a situation where the one who doesn't eat causes the one who can eat, not to sleep.
The hon Deputy Minister is actually in charge of arranging a workshop with our chiefs so they can talk about this to see how we can correct this, because the kings are the traditional leaders. In the rural areas the chiefs own the land on behalf of the people, so it is important that we meet and decide how we are going to democratise the way in which we use this land, because in the rural areas there is no question of ownership. We must democratise the manner in which land is utilised so that everybody has a say in it, so that no one can say that they cannot access land in our country for them to live on. [Interjections.]
The workshop is coming, Sir, you should not worry. We have addressed 13% of that. We hope that when we arrive in these rural areas and tell the chiefs that we would like to use their land so that the people can benefit from this land, the chiefs will agree. [Applause.] Thank you very much.
Thank you, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, MECs, hon members and officials for the work you have done and the contributions you have made.
Debate concluded.