Deputy Chair, the speech we are going to present to this august House is much the same as the one that we presented to the National Assembly on the occasion of a similar debate.
We have looked at the department in terms of its programmes. We conducted an overview, and we looked at the current mandate that government is carrying on with, looking at outcomes on the basis of that mandate. We looked at the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, CRDP, and made a few comments with regard to how it is performing in terms of pilot programmes. We also looked at our ability in the department to carry out those programmes. Of course, we looked at a few elements of the CRDP, and then we looked at what it is that we would like to see moving forward in terms of the changes that we are proposing. That is a summary of what we are going to present briefly to the honourable House. Deputy Chair, hon members, hon MECs, esteemed traditional leaders, representatives of organised agriculture, ladies and gentlemen, today my speech, as I have just said, is very similar to the one that we presented to the National Assembly on the occasion of a similar debate on 26 March. Since then, we have seen remarkable progress with the implementation of the CRDP, which gives meaning to our vision of vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities. At the opening of the National House of Traditional Leaders on 23 February 2010, the President underlined the important role that amakhosi have to play in the planning and implementation of rural development. He implored us to work together for the improvement of the quality of life of our rural people and communities.
National sovereignty is defined in terms of land. That is why, even without it being enshrined in the Constitution of the country, land is a national asset. The resolution of the 52nd national conference of the ANC in 2007 on agrarian change, land reform and rural development confirmed the ANC's acute awareness of and sensitivity to the centrality of land as a fundamental element in the resolution of the race, gender and class contradictions in South Africa.
That is where the debate about agrarian change, land reform and rural development should, appropriately, begin. Without this fundamental assumption, talk of land reform and food security is superfluous. We must, and shall, fundamentally review the current land tenure system during this Medium-Term Strategic Framework, MTSF, period. We shall, through rigorous engagement with all South Africans, review the land tenure system so that we should emerge with a tenure system which will satisfy the aspirations of all South Africans, irrespective of race, gender and class.
It is therefore fitting and appropriate that the strategy of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform be agrarian transformation, interpreted to mean a rapid and fundamental change in the relations of land, livestock, cropping and community. The objective of the strategy is social cohesion and development. All anticolonial struggles are, at the core, about two things, namely repossession of lost land and restoring the centrality of indigenous culture to underscore all nation-building endeavours. These two are therefore integrally linked.
With regard to the review of the programmes of the department for 2009-10 in particular, I have to acknowledge that the land reform programmes implemented to date have not been entirely sustainable, and they have not provided the anticipated socioeconomic benefits to all the recipients of the programmes. To date, approximately 6 million hectares of land have been transferred through restitution and redistribution, and much of this land is not productive and has not created any economic benefit for many of the new owners.
There has been an overemphasis on hectares at the expense of development and food security. This has contributed to declining productivity on farms, a decrease in employment in the agricultural sector and deepening poverty in the countryside. Coupled with this is a leak-out of redistributed land, which results from recipients failing to honour debts with the Land Bank and other commercial banks. The monetary implications to transfer the remaining 19 million hectares of land by 2014 has been calculated at approximately R72 billion, if we are to continue to pursue the willing- buyer, willing-seller model.
It is clear that the current land reform environment is the result of institutional weaknesses in overall land management, policy and legislation. We have to strike a realistic and sensitive balance between the acquisition of land hectares on the one hand and land development for food security on the other.
The mandate of the department is derived from the five priorities of the ruling party and government's Medium-Term Strategic Framework priorities. The CRDP has set us on a new course for postcolonial reconstruction and development. This shall be achieved through co-ordinated and broad-based agrarian transformation, which focuses on the following: building communities through social facilitation and mobilisation, as well as technical and institutional capacity-building; strategic investment in old and new social, economic and ICT infrastructure and public amenities and facilities co-ordinated through the rural infrastructure programme of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform; a new land reform programme implemented in the context of a reviewed land tenure system; the rendering of professional and technical services, as well as effective and sustainable resource management through the components of geospatial services, technology development and disaster management; and, finally, the effective provision of cadastral and deeds registry, as well as surveys and mapping services.
The department is committed to the achievement of outcome 7 of the 12 outcomes pursued by government over the MTSF period, that being vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities. The success of this department over the MTSF period will be measured through delivery on the following outputs: sustainable land reform, food security for all, rural development and sustainable livelihoods, and job creation linked to skills development.
In our efforts to make rural development a reality, we have developed the framework for comprehensive rural development. This has been shared with all national sector departments, as well as provinces through Minmec. The key thrust of the framework is an integrated programme of rural development, land reform and agrarian change.
In its quest to create vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities, the department is implementing the CRDP in several wards across the country. Since the launch of the first pilot site by the President of the Republic in Muyexe, Giyani, Limpopo province, the department has expanded the implementation of the CRDP and is currently working in 21 wards across the country. This work will be rolled out to 160 additional wards by 2014, as stated by the President. We have adopted all the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programmes across the country, that is the ISRDP nodes, and have incorporated the lessons learnt from them into the CRDP.
As from 1 April 2010, the War on Poverty programme, which has prioritised 1 128 wards over the next MTSF period, has been relocated from the Presidency to the department. During this period, we have also been working on building the institutional capacity of the department to deliver effectively on these mandates. A new organogram has already been approved by the Minister for the Public Service and Administration, as well as the National Treasury. The department is currently in the process of recruiting the required capacity. As promised during my maiden Budget Vote speech last year, the postsettlement support strategy has been strengthened and properly capacitated with a new chief directorate and a trading account unit at head office, as well as more than 100 employees across the country.
Realising that we cannot do this alone, partnerships have been developed with tertiary and research institutions, as well as the department of Higher Education and Training. An overview of the Department's overall performance has been completed and has guided the development of certain short- and medium-term strategic and operational remedies.
Of importance is that in each area where the CRDP is being implemented, a new vibrancy has been created around working together, involving communities, the three spheres of government and the private sector. This has enabled us to mobilise resources from all sectors of government to ensure delivery. An inclusive CRDP stakeholder participation model has been developed with the council of stakeholders functioning as a planning, implementation and monitoring mechanism. Communities themselves have become central to their own development. We have, through the work undertaken at the CRDP sites and in conjunction with the national, provincial and local government, erected infrastructure such as housing, water, sanitation, agricultural inputs, community halls, multipurpose centres, fencing, renovation of schools and clinics, and much more.
Simultaneous with the implementation of these different projects, we have been piloting a job creation and skills development model. Professional support is ably provided by the IDT, Independent Development Trust, in this regard.
One of our key responsibilities is the revitalisation of small rural towns as they act as catalysts for job creation and skills training in the rural and peri-urban areas. This will be achieved by interfacing rural and peri- urban areas through infrastructure development, initiatives to meet basic human needs, enterprise development, agro-village industries and credit facilities. Key drivers in this regard will be water services, energy, sanitation, the communication system and human skills. The department will continue to play its part in the local government turnaround strategy by providing support to municipalities in the compilation of spatial development frameworks.
We are driven by the strategy of putting one job in every household. From the CRDP entry point of mobilising and organising rural people, we build unemployed people's skills, particularly the youth, and unleash them in their own communities to do decent work. The hon members who are close to sites in this regard would probably have seen this. We have entered into strategic partnerships with the Department of Higher Education and Training, FET colleges, HSRC and universities of technology in this regard. The HSRC is developing training modules for use in intensive preparations of young people to run their own enterprises so that they could create sustainable jobs in their own communities. We are focused on transforming them from being job seekers into becoming job creators to break the cycle of dependency on social grants.
The ANC's 52nd national conference in 2007 resolved, among other things, that the government should establish an appropriate institution with the resources and authority to drive and co-ordinate an integrated programme of rural development, land reform and agrarian change. The policy and legislation for the envisaged rural development agency is receiving increasing attention and shall be finalised by May 2012.
The challenges in our current service delivery model and fiscal constraints have compelled us to review our approach relating to 1and redistribution. The following principles will underpin our new approach towards sustainable land reform: the deracialisation of the rural economy for shared and sustained growth; democratic and equitable land allocation and use across gender, race and class; and, finally, strict production discipline for guaranteed national food security.
With regard to the land tenure system, we have introduced new proposals. In the Green Paper on rural development and land reform, we propose that for South Africa to achieve equitable access to land and sustainable land use, the current land tenure system must be overhauled. In this regard, we propose a three-tier land tenure system, namely introducing leasehold tenure on state land, introducing freehold with limited extent for private land and foreign ownership should be under precarious tenure. The above system will be based on a categorisation model informed by land use needs at the level of household, smallholder, medium-scale and large-scale commercial farming.
To address the institutional weaknesses in land management policy and legislation alluded to earlier, there is a need for a land management commission that will: be autonomous, but not independent of the Ministry; be accountable, transparent and professional; and have the powers to subpoena, inquire on own volition or at the instance of interested parties, verify and validate title deeds, demand declaration of landholdings and grant amnesty and cause individuals and entities to be prosecuted. The state shall have the first right of refusal on all land sales. This is fundamental for establishing and maintaining the integrity of our national heritage and asset, which is land.
To respond to the challenges of the collapsing land reform projects and defunct irrigation schemes in the former homelands in particular, we have introduced a new programme called recapitalisation and development. The objectives of this programme are to increase production, guarantee food security, graduate small farmers into commercial farmers, and create employment opportunities within the agricultural sector. The core principles of the programme are mentorship, comanagement, and share equity.
To implement this programme, we have taken a decision to allocate 25% of our baseline land acquisition budget. This amounts to R900 million for the current financial year. The centrality of the public-private partnerships in the recapitalisation and development programme cannot be overemphasised. We are encouraged that organised agriculture has fully embraced this strategic intervention.
While we are in the process of developing legislation linked to the Green Paper, it is imperative that we find immediate mechanisms to respond to the plight of farm workers and farm dwellers as was enjoined on us by the President during the state of the nation address last year.
We will introduce a Land Tenure Security Bill which will repeal the Extension of Security of Tenure Act, as well as the Land Reform (Labour Tenants) Act. This Bill will be informed by the following objectives: firstly, to protect relative rights of farm workers, farm dwellers and landowners; secondly, to enhance the tenure rights of farm dwellers; and, thirdly, to ensure food security through sustained production discipline.
I am pleased to announce that over the past few months the department has been focusing on the development of a Green Paper on agrarian transformation, rural development and land reform, which will articulate and elaborate on some of the measures mentioned above. It will culminate into a new land policy framework and omnibus legislation, which should be a consolidation of all land-related laws. The Green Paper will soon be presented to Cabinet for consideration, and the plan is to submit it to Parliament during the course of this year. In conclusion, the President of the Republic entrusted us with the mandate of rural development and land reform. He entrusted us with the future of South Africa's poorest of the poor. As part of a responsive and responsible government, we shall implement policy that will create a better life for all rural communities. We will work together, and we will achieve these goals together.
The President enjoined us to make this the year of action. We are ensuring that the department is properly orientated and adequately capacitated to give effect to the President's call. The time for rural development is now and not tomorrow. This is the time for rural people to experience the desired change which some of us have been talking about. Let us all be the agents of that change. I thank you, hon Deputy Chair. [Applause.]
Deputy Chairperson, I want to start by thanking the Minister, the Deputy Minister and the director-general for always making themselves available to attend our meetings. The Select Committee on Land and Environmental Affairs has so far always had a good collaboration with the department and, more specifically, Minister, your staff always sends in documents in good time so that members can interrogate them and have good discussions during our meetings. Thank you for facilitating our oversight over your department.
Minister, your department has a mammoth task. The implementation of the CRDP is seen as the main tool to address the needs of the rural marginalised communities. It is also a great achievement for the administration. In the 2010 state of the nation address and during the Minister of Finance's Budget Speech, rural development, linked to land reform and food security, emerged as one of the five key government priorities for the year. Since the majority of the poor in the country are in rural areas, it makes sense that rural development emerged as a key government strategy to fight poverty and to ensure a better life for all South Africans.
The aim for rural development is to enable the rural poor to take charge of their destiny by creating sustainable rural livelihoods through optimal land use and the management of natural resources. The main issues identified for the department in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, include sustainable land reform, food security for all, rural development and sustainable livelihoods and job creation and skills training, including a job creation model.
Underpinning the above-mentioned outputs is a focus on creating sustainable rural livelihoods and improving food security. This implies a shift of focus from land delivery, as was the case in previous financial years, where there was much focus on meeting the targets of land delivery while ignoring postsettlement support. This is evident in the fact that there was no mention of fast-tracking land delivery and finalising land claims in the 2010 state of the nation address or the Budget Speech.
In the 2010-11 financial year, the intention of government is to have a balance between land delivery and postsettlement support to address the challenge of poverty and food insecurity. The focus is to recapitalise struggling commercial farms that have been transferred to emerging farmers. In March this year, the Minister confirmed that the recapitalisation of 200 nonproductive commercial farms and the taking over of farms that are not in use is aligned with the government's new approach to land reform.
Furthermore, the department aims to overhaul the land policy and legislation in order to facilitate sustainable land reform. These initiatives are fully supported. As our people have been landless for far too long, we need to speed up delivery in this regard.
It is clear from the vast mandate of the department that various challenges inhibit the department from implementing its programmes. Comrades, this is the time for proper integration of programmes of various departments so that we can do more together. In line with the objective of creating sustainable rural livelihoods and a better life for all, the Minister of Finance, in his Budget Speech, alluded to the fact that rural development has been identified as an important area that needs more spending and co- ordination.
In the 2010-11 budget, an additional allocation of R860 million is provided for improving the quality of life within rural communities and broadening the base of agricultural production. In addition, a special allocation of R1,2 billion for the rural household infrastructure grant to support rural communities, especially for on-site water and sanitation infrastructure, was made to cover the 2010 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework.
However, this allocation is located in the Department of Human Settlements as the role of providing water and sanitation has been shifted from the Department of Water Affairs to the Department of Human Settlements. This implies that the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform has to work closely with the Department of Human Settlements, other departments and other spheres of government to ensure provision of water and sanitation in rural areas, and to deliver on the rural development mandate.
From the budget portion, the department has been allocated a budget of R6,7 billion for 2010-11, which shows a slight increase from the R6,4 billion allocated in 2009-10. In nominal terms, the budget for the department increased slightly by 5,8% between the 2009-2010 and 2010-11 financial years, while, in real terms, it decreased by 0,89%. The slight increase is driven by the significant increase in the budget for the land reform programme, whilst the budget for the other four programmes declined. The slight increase in the budget allocation for the department for 2010-11 is of serious concern, considering the fact that rural development and land reform is one of government's five key priorities for the medium term.
Furthermore, the fact that the budget allocation for the department makes up by Vote, only 1,47% of the total government appropriation is not in line with prioritising rural development at a national level. One would have expected the budget for the department to increase drastically in order to be able to cover previous commitments as well as demands due to the expansion of the mandate of the department.
Minister, and Deputy Minister, other areas that your department needs to address include the frustration experienced by land claimants who await agricultural support and extension services. The Select Committee on Land an Environmental Affairs has visited far too many restored farms that are lying idle after millions of rands of government funds have been spent in the restitution process. In a country that needs to increase agricultural productivity, Minister, we need to find solutions quickly.
Mphathiswa, ikomiti ibikhe yaphuma yaya kwelaseMpuma Koloni. Ukusuka kwayo eQamata neziphaluka zayo, iye yayakubona iLubisi Dam. Into ethe yayibona endleleni, lukhukhuliso lomhlaba olumangalisayo. Kubonakala ukuba abantu baza kuhlala ezindongeni. Ngoko ke ndicinga ukuba isebe lakho likhe likhawuleze ukujonga ezi ndawo okanye libuze kuthi thina bantu bamane bengena bephuma kwezi ndawo ngelokukhangela ukuba zeziphi na iindawo esizibona zikwimeko embi. Loo nto ingalinceda isebe.
Ukuba siyajonga phaya, kukho amahlathi, abantu abahlelanga kakuhle kwaye nemigaqo ayikho. Eli sebe lakho kufuneka libhinqele phezulu oko mgqakhwe eleqwa ekwendeni. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Minister, the select committee paid a visit to the Eastern Cape. The select committee noticed severe soil erosion on their way to Lubisi Dam from Qamata and surrounding areas and the erosion is so extensive that residents could end up living in the dongas. I therefore think that your department should look at these areas immediately or else consult with us, the people who pay frequent visits to these areas on a mission to find out which areas are in a bad condition. That will help the department.
If you look at these places you will notice that there are forests, and the conditions under which people live are not right and the roads are terrible. This department needs to pull up its socks in terms of a work ethic and standards as of yesterday.]
Finally comrades, I would leave you with this quote:
The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme is our national collective strategy in our joint fight against poverty, hunger, unemployment and lack of development in our rural areas. It is an embodiment of our unshaken commitment that we shall not rest in our drive to eradicate poverty.
These are the words of our President, spoken at the launch of the programme in Giyani, Limpopo, on 17 August 2009. The Select Committee on Land and Environmental Affairs supports the budget for the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform - Vote No 32. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, MECs present, members of the House, distinguished guests, let me first start by thanking the Minister and the Deputy Minister for participating in the NCOP Taking Parliament to the People programme in Limpopo in March. We appreciate the commitment you have shown and the work that you are doing.
I would like to reassure you that we will do our best to ensure that you have the resources you need to do your work. We will also continue to engage all relevant role-players to join in ensuring that we improve the living conditions of our people, especially in rural areas. Towards this end, the Chairperson of the NCOP will be convening a planning meeting in Polokwane this weekend with a view to facilitating oversight on commitments made during our visit to the Greater Sekhukhune district in March. We will also be engaging the national departments so that the provincial and local governments are assisted to respond to the expressed needs of the Limpopo people.
During the fourth term of our Parliament, we have committed ourselves to ensuring that we play a significant and clear role in promoting the principles of co-operative government and intergovernmental relations.
Rural development and land reform, which is one of the priorities of government, is indeed on our own priority list when it comes to our oversight work. By the end of this term, we would like to see a marked improvement in how government responds to developmental challenges in rural areas. This is important because we need to stop many of our people moving from rural to urban areas, only to realise that they do not have the skills to participate in the urban economic life.
On 13 April 2010, as the committee, we received briefings from the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform on its policy and Budget Vote No 32. The key objective of the department is the achievement of vibrant and sustainable rural communities. As the committee, we will be monitoring, among other things, the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, which is an important intervention towards the realisation of the department's objective.
Minister, we believe that the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme should include, but should not be limited to the following: the improvement of economic infrastructure; the development of access roads in rural areas; fencing for agriculture, including community gardens for the purpose of securing food production; and ensuring that every family has food.
Informed by the mandate of the ANC obtained during the national and provincial elections last year, we have emphasised, through the committee, the fact that the department needs to support the development of sustainable and vibrant rural communities with all amenities which are necessary to support the quality of life in a rural area.
The committee also believes that an ideal rural community must have access to water, electricity, irrigation schemes, information and communications technology, or ICT, systems, business centres, schools, adult basic education and training, or Abet, centres, libraries, clinics, community halls, and sports facilities. It is a fact that many of our rural villages today do not have many of these amenities. In fact, these facilities are associated with urban life and not with the needs of the people, irrespective of where they reside. A well-known farmer and philosopher once said:
If the land is to be used well, we must have people on the land who know it well, who know how to use it well, have time to use it well, and are able to afford to use it well.
This teaches us about the comprehensive nature of land and agrarian reform as we pursue it in South Africa. Therefore, with rural development, the exodus to cities will come to an end as rural areas will be self- sustaining.
Land is central to the implementation of government's comprehensive rural development strategy. In this context, allow me to remind the Minister that the issue of land claims is still a challenge to the development of the Greater Sekhukhune district. This needs our undivided and collective attention.
In conclusion, I want to thank the Minister for the wonderful work that he has done for the Sisonke District Municipality in my province, KwaZulu- Natal, by assisting the community during the Sisonke district pilot project on rural development. Your assistance has contributed immensely to better equip the community of the Sisonke District for rural development. I have no doubt that the people of Sisonke will be able to handle matters differently as they go forward in fostering rural development as the key element of all strategies to combat poverty.
Chairperson, when we talk about rural development, we are referring to rural communities that were always left behind with no focus. We urge an urgent and quick response to our concerns. The ANC supports the Budget Vote of the department. I thank you.
Hon House Chairperson, hon Minster, MECs present, hon members, firstly, it would be remiss of me not to thank the department for their presentations, to our committee as well.
Rural development has moved up on the government's agenda, hence the establishment of a dedicated Ministry. In the state of the nation address, the President announced rural development and land reform as one of the government's top five priorities. This department states that its purpose is to "initiate, facilitate, co-ordinate and catalyse the implementation of a Comprehensive Rural Development Programme that leads to sustainable and vibrant rural communities". Only some R1,568 billion has been allocated to the land restitution programme, of which R800 million has been used to purchase farms.
Many farmers and land claimants are going to court to force the department to honour the commitments of signed contracts to purchase land. In the interim, much productive land is not farmed, which South Africa can ill afford. By the Minister's own admission, some 90% of land reform projects have failed due to the lack of postsettlement support to the land reform beneficiaries. What is required is for government to commit the necessary resources to finance land reform and to ensure that there is sufficient capacity within the state to manage the process.
Some of the concerns raised by the committee are the unacceptably high vacancy rate in the department; the continued use of external consultants; the inability of the Auditor-General to audit receivable revenue; and a lack of effective deed registration, which prevented the department from finalising the asset register of all state-owned land.
It was highlighted that there was a need to integrate land reform and agricultural support programmes - by which the success of these programmes will be measured - by an increased amount of small-scale farmers that become economically viable. The fact that the department will only focus on 150 wards through the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme is of concern as the budget allocated is only a fraction of what was requested from Treasury. The department must then obtain co-operation with other stakeholders such as the Departments of Social Development, Health, Home Affairs, Transport, Water Affairs, etc. Funds will have to be pulled to address competencies within the selected area.
More than a third of South Africa's population is found in rural areas, but agriculture accounts for only 10% of employment. Migration to urban and metro areas is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Weak infrastructure, combined with deteriorating rail and roads in many farm areas, raises production costs and limits market access. This, in turn, reduces productivity. This means that users cannot afford to contribute much towards infrastructure investments. Poor social infrastructure means lower skills and health levels.
The Minister has already submitted a Green Paper to Cabinet with regard, as he has alluded to, to the government's new approach to land reform, including alternatives to the willing-buyer, willing-seller principle. The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has alluded to the fact that government is looking into a share scheme with the aim of reaching land reform targets. The uncertainty and confusion created by these various statements is not good for agricultural production and will scare off future investments.
The DA is in full support of reversing the effects of past land dispossession, but the process must not undermine property rights, which will ultimately destroy the free-market system. Ignoring the basic principle will result in the total collapse of food production and the banking system. According to a written reply to a question from the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, some 98 farms in the Free State province alone purchased through the Land Bank are unproductive, and if we expand that to the other eight provinces, we then realise what we are talking about. Small agricultural units operate on minimal net profit margins with the result that small and medium commercial farmers are in no position to divide income between more shareholders.
The DA proposes that the government first implements a successful model based on the partnership and mentorship to which the Minister has alluded for the failed farms under the land restitution process before risking the successful productive farms and food security. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chair, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, my friendly colleague from Gauteng and members, it is with a great sense of urgency that I am standing here today. Issues of land reform and rural development are very serious matters as they hold the potential to fundamentally change the future of this country. At the same time, I am very excited about the possibilities of land reform and rural development and what they hold for our country.
It is very important to know and reflect on the history of our country. Grave injustices were committed in the past, and we need to keep that in mind when we plan for the future. Sixteen years have come and gone since our first democratically elected government took charge of South Africa. We have experienced 16 years of land reform which has left South Africans disillusioned.
This is not your fault, Minister; perhaps it is the fault of your predecessors. But now you have to solve this problem. Rural restitution of land is not happening. Settling restitution with cash payments is defeating the very purpose of its inception in the first place. Redistribution has ground to a halt; tenure reform is not happening. This is creating the perception that we have become stuck in the past. We have to move to the future now.
People have been quick to blame the willing-buyer, willing-seller approach as the root cause of land reform failure. Commercial farmers are accused of inflating land prices. Farmers are accused of blackmailing land reform. But commercial farmers in the Western Cape are no longer only white. A blanket accusation against commercial farmers is no longer valid.
Solving this problem does not lie in a three-tier property ownership system. Such a system is something of vast complexity that poses the risk of disinvestment in agriculture and, ultimately, national food security.
Challenges posed by land reform and rural development are huge. When confronted with challenges of this magnitude, it is possible and only human to overlook the simple and obvious solutions right in front of our eyes. Land reform in South Africa does not need more legislation. After 16 years, we do not need yet another land analysis or more research reports that will go into great length about inequalities that permeate land ownership in South Africa. We do not need to resort to repossession of land or new repossession legislation. We do not need more levels of bureaucracy in an attempt to solve the problem.
The answer is right here. Together with commercial agriculture, we can drive land reform in South Africa. As a matter of fact, commercial agriculture wants to assist us in driving land reform in South Africa - if only government could give them the opportunity to do so. Mr Nkwinti, you would be surprised to what extent South Africans of colonial lineage are sensitive to our country's history. You might also be pleasantly surprised with the commitment that these very same people have to the future of South Africa. All South Africans realise the importance of land reform.
Dit is belangrik dat ons dit so gou moontlik en so suksesvol moontlik begin doen. [It is important that we start doing it as soon as possible and as effectively as possible.]
If we can allow commercial agriculture to assist us, Minister Nkwinti will benefit from the positive results. The worst thing that we can do regarding land reform in South Africa is to continue postponing it.
I will support any effort to increase the percentage of the national Budget that is allocated towards rural development and land reform. The task is too important for the amount being allocated.
Minister, u weet dat ek u ten volle steun en u sal help dat ons landelike ontwikkeling in die Wes-Kaap van die grond af kry. [Minister, you know that you have my full support, and I will assist you to get rural development off the ground in the Western Cape.]
I want to urge the Minister not to restrict new farmers to small plots. Let's rather plan to allow new farmers to progress from being subsistence farmers to being smallholder farmers and then to being commercial farmers, as soon as possible.
Kom ons kyk hoe vinnig ons hulle deur die proses kan kry, sodat hulle groot kommersile boere kan word. [Let's see how quickly we can get them through the process in order for them to become large commercial farmers.]
The agricultural world is moving towards an ever-decreasing number of farmers on increasingly larger farms. We cannot ignore these realities. Larger commercial farms are producing food in an efficient manner while creating valuable job opportunities. Commercial agriculture links with the rest of the economy. A farm worker on a commercial farm can progress with a career path in marketing, finance or much more. Op 'n groot plaas dra 'n plaaswerker nie meer net 'n werkpak en rubbersteuwels nie. Daar het ons plaaswerkers in seniorbestuur, in middelbestuur en in die bemarking in Europa, of waar dit ook al mag wees. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[On large farms farm workers do not necessarily just wear overalls and rubber boots anymore. On these farms we have farm workers in senior management, and middle management, as well as in marketing in Europe, or wherever it may be.]
I have committed the Western Cape to a 60% land reform success rate within the next five years. We will achieve that through public-private partnerships with various commodity organisations. We are in an advanced phase of establishing 1 000 hectares of deciduous fruit trees for new farmers. The project is being funded on a rand-for-rand basis by my department and the relevant commodity organisation. In this case it is Hortgro. In a similar manner, we are working with dairy, grain, vegetables, wine and livestock industries in establishing new farmers on a sustainable basis.
I handed a community farm over to its rightful owners last night in the Southern Cape. It is the Jakkalskraal farm, which belongs to the Griqua people. They have built up their own successful farm over the past few years, with the assistance of the Western Cape department of agriculture in Casidra. They make a profit and plough this profit back into the community.
Daar is een ding van daardie gemeenskap, hulle werk saam en hulle vat hande. Hulle trek nie dwars nie. Ons het 'n groot suksesverhaal daar. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[There is one thing about that community, and that is that they work together and join hands. They are not unreasonable. We have a major success story there.]
The Western Cape has shown that equity share schemes can work as a model for land reform. This approach allows for proven managerial skills to remain in a business. This helps to ensure future success. At the same time, vital food security is retained. All this happens while also creating wealth for beneficiaries. This model can be successful in the rest of South Africa as well. I know that commercial farmers will give their full support. It is up to the government to show that it is serious about land reform and its successful conclusion.
Minister Nkwinti, use the goodwill of the people who know how to farm to help create a country where everybody has access to land. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon MECs here present, hon members, to those who know and understand whose sons and daughters we are, it will not be amazing when I, on behalf of Cope, support this budget. Ndilandela ke ezinyaweni zikanyawontle uMfundis' uDandala ... [I'm following in Rev Dandala's footsteps ...]
... my leader, who has, without reservation, supported this budget.
To us, as Cope, this department is meant to deal with economic development in rural areas, where we would see the establishment of agri-industries, co- ops and local markets in rural settings.
The empowerment of rural people and communities, especially women and the youth, with regard to training them in technical skills such that they are able to deal with animal diseases, natural disasters, hunger and food security, should be a priority. Hence we must jointly stop the selling out or the unilateral outsourcing of schemes like the Ncora Irrigation Scheme in the Eastern Cape.
We also want to appeal to the Minister to focus, in an integrated approach, on the implementation of the rural transport development Programme. I advise, hon Minister, that this will succeed only if we reclassify and declassify rural roads.
Kuphele le nto yokuba kuthiwe kukho imigwaqo yesizwe, eyephondo kunye neyoorhulumente basekhaya. [Eliminate the idea of national, provincial and local government roads.]
In conclusion, please agree with me when I say that not much has been done on land reform and the restitution of land rights. We hope and pray that since this budget will be your first tool of trade, hon Minister, you will push for the settlement of all outstanding claims. Please remember ...
... Tat' uMnqarhwane, ukuba basilindile kwaMajola ePort St Johns ... [... Mr Mnqarhwane, that they are waiting for us at kwaMajola, in Port St Johns ...]
... in the Eastern Cape. If one looks at this budget, one will see that it is the Freedom Charter in action. [Interjections.]
I want to assure you, Mnqarhwane, that we are not in opposition to all the good things that are done by the ruling party. Furthermore, we will not hug and kiss reactionary elements that are still conservative and have "verkrampte" [conservative] tendencies. At no stage shall we marry the AWB, or Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging.
I also want to pronounce that we shall never be confused when it comes to affirmative action and black economic empowerment. Those who came to Cope with ulterior motives, both doors are open. They can come in through that door and go out through the other. Cope will remain in place. I thank you. [Applause.]
Mr R T MTHEMBU (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, thank you very much for affording KwaZulu-Natal an opportunity to participate in the debate on the Budget Vote of the national Department of Rural Development and Land Reform introduced by the Minister, hon Gugile Nkwinti. Let me congratulate the Minister for a comprehensive Budget Vote speech on rural development, agrarian transformation and land reform.
Key to effective rural development is the meaningful involvement of rural people and the understanding of current livelihoods. The acupuncture principle will concentrate on what intervention will provide best value for money, and the systems thinking will concentrate on asking ourselves what this would look like in 20 years' time.
The Minister has emphasised integration and ensuring that there is no fragmentation or duplication. To respond to the Minister's call in KwaZulu- Natal, we have mainstreamed rural development in all government departments, the provincial rural committee chaired by the director-general in the province, departmental rural development committees and district rural development forums.
Msinga has been pronounced as the pilot for KwaZulu-Natal. The chairperson, Minister Gugile Nkwinti and the MEC visited the Msinga site to formally pronounce this area as the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme pilot site in the province on 26 April 2010. The pronouncement of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme site marked the commencement of the 100-day action plan leading to the launch of the site by the President. Currently, the department is working closely with the national Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and our sister departments in the province on the Msinga site, as follows: We will finalise household profiling by the end of May and data capturing and the launch of the stakeholder council by the end of June. The Msinga and Nkandla provincial task team is working hard to ensure the implementation of the 100-day action plan.
The implementation of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme will be effective through joint planning, aligning and co-ordinating with stakeholders to ensure holistic, integrated and coherent government programmes through district municipalities in partnership with traditional leaders.
The provincial cabinet approved an integrated rural development plan. The thrust of the framework for rural development strategy is the importance of aligning planning processes for different spheres of government, the integration of departmental efforts and the involvement of people in their own development and empowering the people to participate and own processes of development to ensure sustainability.
The hon premier introduced the concept district champions, making sure that service delivery happens and is monitored at ward level. The premier announced a provincial rural model in partnership with the Ngonyama Trust - the one village, one product model. Amakhosi will identify 100 hectares and link the produce to markets with a clearly defined value chain management strategy.
The theme of the ANC January 8 Statement 2010 was "Working Together to Speed Up Effective Service Delivery". In his state of the nation address, His Excellency President Jacob Zuma declared 2010 as a year of action. He further said that we should work harder, faster and smarter. A large part of the address was dedicated to agriculture and rural development, which is an indication of the importance of agriculture and rural development.
His Majesty the King, in his address during the opening of the legislature, stressed the importance of agriculture as a turnaround strategy for poverty in rural areas and that people should not only be consumers, but also producers.
What the Minister said will be done in the Budget Vote has already started, and this will continue with great speed and dedication. Firstly, the One Home, One Garden strategy was started and well received, and lessons have been learned. We will assist in upscaling and improving the campaign. We will also launch the One Church, One Garden strategy in September in partnership with the religious community and the office of the premier.
Secondly, seed distribution will be upscaled, and the support to the community will be strengthened.
Thirdly, subsistence farming has been provided to communities, but more still needs to be done to increase participation.
Fourthly, support has been given to land reform farms through the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme.
Fifthly, markets for primary agricultural co-operatives were secured through partnership with the Department of Health. More still needs to be done in this financial year.
In the sixth place, communities are being built through social facilitation and mobilisation, as well as technical and institutional capacity-building.
In the seventh place, strategic investment in the old and new social and economic infrastructure has occurred.
Lastly, the revival of small towns linking to the growth path of the province, in partnership with the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, acts as a catalyst for rural development.
We concur with the hon Minister when he says that rural development is multifaceted and multidimensional. It is not only agriculture that is involved in the rural development space, but also all provincial and national government departments, as well as the private sector.
We would like the intervention of the Minister with regard to outstanding land claims in the province being fast-tracked so that we can deliver to our communities. The outstanding land claims are creating a problem in our communities. We will appreciate his intervention in this process so that we can go back to our communities and give them the right answer.
As a department we are taking the lead in the co-ordination and integration of all rural development initiatives and programmes in the province, in partnership with our national Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. Partnerships are key to the success of an integrated development strategy. A strong productive working relationship - horizontally and vertically - is also important between rural communities and various institutions and sectors, as well as local, provincial and national government.
In conclusion, this year is the year of action. We need to roll up our sleeves, dirty our hands and improve the lives of our rural communities.
Sithi phezu komkhono, masibuyisele emasimini. [The ploughing season is upon us; let us go back to the fields.]
Chair, hon Minister and hon members, the ID understands that this new department faces the difficult task of trying to implement its new plans against the backdrop of decreasing available finances. It is indeed unfortunate that during the years when there was enough money, not enough was done to support the beneficiaries of land reform.
The ID agrees that all transferred land must be used productively. We are happy with the department's recognition that the land reform process has been flawed because redistributed land did not receive enough postsettlement support. The ID remains concerned that land reform is being put on hold and that we are getting conflicting signals as to how we are going to deal with this issue going forward.
South Africa needs a clear direction on policy, together with achievable targets. Minister, we also do not want to see the aspirations of the landless being continuously dashed as they have been over the past 16 years. The proposal to make land a national asset in the upcoming Green Paper must be carefully considered and debated.
The ID supports the second option - a review of current tenure policies and legislation involving the current freehold title system and land ceilings framework linked to the categorisation of farms. However, it would be wrong to attempt to bring about land redress by simply amending the Constitution due to government's own failures of the past 16 years.
I would like to call on the Minister to ensure that there is a Comprehensive Rural Development Programme that can help rural people gain access to all basic services such as roads, electricity, health, quality education, water and sanitation.
Dink u dit is regverdig om ons mense nie behoorlik te vergoed vir grond wat vandag markwaarde het van miljoene rande nie? Ons mense is baie min uitbetaal.
Hoekom kan ons mense nie reg vergoed word vir wat werklik hulle eiendom was nie? Hoe lank moet ons mense wag vir die uitstaande eise? Sal hulle vergoed word volgens markverwante pryse?
Ek hoop dat die Minister reg sal laat geskied. Ek hoop en vertrou dat die plan en aksies wat die Minister het, uitgevoer sal word. Ons sal u steun, omdat grondhervorming die hartklop van ons mense is. Armoede kan ontmoedig word wanneer ons mense grondeienaars word met dieselfde markwaarde. Hoekom moet die mense wat ons verdruk het en wat voordeel getrek het deur die land te vat, weer voordeel trek deur miljoene rande betaal te word? Dit bevorder nie demokrasie nie. Hulle het in die eerste plek ons mense verneder en nou moet hulle weer vergoed word. Ons ondersteun die begroting. Ek dank u. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Do you believe it is fair not to compensate our people properly for land that today has a market value of millions of rand? Our people were paid paltry sums.
Why should our people not be duly compensated for what was really their property? How long must our people wait for the outstanding claims? Will they be compensated at market-related prices?
I hope that the Minister will let justice prevail. I hope and trust that the Minister's plan of action will be implemented. We will support you, because land reform is the heartbeat of our people.
The fight against poverty can be promoted when our people become owners of land of the same market value. Why should the people who oppressed us and who benefited by taking away the land, benefit once more by being paid millions of rand? That does not promote democracy. It was they who humiliated our people in the first place, and now they have to be compensated once again. We support the budget. I thank you.]
Chairperson, hon members of the NCOP, our MECs present here, senior government officials, ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed a great honour and privilege for us to have this opportunity to come and share with the NCOP the vision of our department and Ministry and the plans for contributing towards the improvement of the quality of life of our people, especially those in the rural areas.
Fourteen days ago, our new Ministry and Department of Rural Development and Land Reform completed their first year of existence. The creation of this department by the hon President, as announced on 11 May 2009, had been a culmination of a process which started at the ANC conference in December 2007, when a very detailed resolution was adopted outlining the challenges of rural development. This was followed by the ANC election manifesto for the 2009 general elections, which identified rural development and food security as one of the top five priorities for the 2009-14 term if elected to government. Of course, it is now common knowledge that the ANC was returned to office by an overwhelming majority of South Africans in the 2009 general elections.
Today as we stand in front of this honourable House, which is a vital link between lawmakers at the national level and our masses in the provinces, we are confident in saying that we understand our mandate and that we are ready to discharge our responsibilities to the rural masses.
The mandate for this department has to do fundamentally with repairing the damage caused by over three centuries of colonisation and apartheid. The ANC Polokwane conference resolution captured this very succinctly when it said:
Colonisation and apartheid were rooted in the dispossession of the African people of their land, the destruction of African farming and the super-exploitation of wage labourers, including farm workers and their families. Poverty, inequality and joblessness are the consequence of centuries of underdevelopment and exploitation consciously perpetrated on the majority of the population, which had its most destructive and enduring impacts on rural South Africa. Consequently, the structural faults that characterised the apartheid rural economy remain with us today.
In charting the way forward, the conference drew a clear relationship between improving the quality of life of the rural masses and addressing the question of land disposition by declaring:
Rural development is a critical pillar of our struggle against unemployment, poverty and inequality.
The resolution also states that:
A more equitable distribution of land is necessary both to undo the injustices of history as well as to ensure higher productivity, shared growth, employment and sustainable livelihoods.
In charting the way forward, the conference further declared that we should -
... and resolved to -
... embark on an integrated programme of rural development, land reform, and agrarian change;
... accelerate the roll-out of rural infrastructure, particularly roads, but also other services including potable water, electricity and irrigation and ensuring in particular that the former Bantustan areas are properly provisioned with an infrastructure base for economic and social development.
There is also u need to improve the co-ordination and synergy between departments and all levels of government to ensure an integrated approach to land and rural development.
I thought it was important that as we are gathered here to discuss our programme of action to address the expectations of our rural masses, we must remember our mandate, which was endorsed actively by more than 12 million South Africans at the ballot boxes on 22 April 2009. It is therefore quite clear that there is no question of us in the Ministry and the department not knowing what the people out there expect from us.
We've gone a long way over the last 12 months in laying the foundation to systematically reverse the damage caused by many centuries of rural degradation and neglect. The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme which we conceptualised after our establishment provides a very clear vision and mission and an anchor strategy of agrarian reform for us to take this task forward.
The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme speaks to the key tenets of our resolutions and our election manifesto that rural development should speak to poverty eradication, provision of employment opportunities, reduction of inequality and support for sustainable livelihoods. Our Comprehensive Rural Development Programme also speaks to the required roll- out of rural infrastructure as outlined in our resolution.
Our decision to embark on the first pilot project in Giyani municipality, Limpopo, within a few months of establishment, which was launched by the President within his first 100 days in office, provides us with invaluable experience in terms of rolling out the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme. Up to now, this project, with its many challenges - not least of which is the scarcity of water - provides an inspirational motivation to all of us involved in this mammoth task in all government departments which are involved in Limpopo, and it also provides valuable experience for other role-players, both in government and in the private sector.
The other subsequent pilot projects in seven other provinces also provide a valuable mix of experiences, with each one of them having their own unique challenges and opportunities; from the programme we've launched in Riemvasmaak in the Northern Cape, to Mkhondo in Mpumalanga, to Diyatalawa and Makgolokweng in the Free State, and the North West, the Eastern Cape and Dysselsdorp in the Western Cape province. Experiences from these projects make us better prepared for a more extensive roll-out during the course of this financial year and beyond, as spelled out by the President in his state of the nation address in February this year.
The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme provides a perfect platform to practise our 2009 election motto, "Working together we can do more". The success of this programme hinges heavily on the ability to bring together various role-players in the three spheres of government, various state entities, the private sector, NGOs and community structures. It is for this reason that we place a lot of emphasis on our implementation in strengthening institutional governance and social cohesion in communities where we are already operational.
The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme also provides an excellent opportunity to contribute towards reducing unemployment, especially amongst the young people. The implementation of all the projects, be it social facilitation, community profiling, or the laying out of infrastructure such as water, electricity, clinics and schools, ICT, early childhood development and many other infrastructural projects, provides a major opportunity for our young people to learn skills, which can result in medium- to long-term job opportunities and also an ability to start their own businesses.
From an economic point of view, we are very clear also that the central anchor of this economic activity is agrarian transformation. We want to make sure that, increasingly, most of our rural people should not be dependent on social grants.
We've gone a long way in reorganising our department to meet the challenges of this new mandate. The process of the retraining of staff and recruitment of new staff where skills cannot be found in-house is ongoing. We also value very highly the support, the co-operation and the enthusiasm of our premiers in all provinces, MECs, mayors and councillors, which we have experienced over the last 12 months. This has been very encouraging.
The twin challenges of our mandate - that of acceleration of land reform - have been a major learning curve over the last 12 months. As we appreciate the extent to which land dispossession has been a cornerstone of colonisation and apartheid oppression, as noted in our Polokwane resolution, the redress of this invokes a lot of passion and emotions from South Africans, depending on the standpoint they come from. Those who were beneficiaries of the old order want to protect what they have, whilst those who were victims of colonisation and apartheid feel that the pace of redress is rather slow. It is for this reason that land reform has dominated the media space with regard to our department over the last 12 months of our work.
A lot of progress has been made in the restitution of our ancestral land to claimants, with up to 96% of such claims already concluded. The remaining 4% is a mixture of court challenges, overlapping claims and complex and expensive claims on conservation land, forestry land, sugar cane farms, and land used for mining operations and other such enterprises. We have to navigate very carefully in many of these situations to make sure that the public funds used to acquire such properties are indeed to the long-term benefit of the beneficiaries.
A lot of progress has also been made in implementing various schemes for land redistribution to aspirant black farmers. Cumulatively, up to 5,9 million hectares of land have been transferred to new black beneficiaries over the last 15 years. The reality we have been confronting, however, as the Minister has already indicated, is that quite a lot of these farms have not been used productively. It is for this reason that we've made a decisive intervention to invest in the recapitalisation of such farms. It is clear that if we want to adequately address this challenge, more resources will need to be allocated to our department.
In going forward, we will up the pace in making sure that there is a qualitative and quantitative acceleration of all the programmes meant to improve the quality of life of our rural people who are the backbone of our democracy. With the experience of 16 years of democratic governance and one year of this administration, we believe it is high time we review comprehensively the policy framework of our land reform strategy, which is critical for a lasting, equitable rural development; therefore, as announced by the Minister, an introduction of the Green Paper, which will be tabled soon.
We believe that together we must find solutions for the creation of a truly inclusive, nonracial, democratic, nonsexist and prosperous South Africa. We must soon reach a situation where we can confidently say that we can respond to the battle cry of many years of struggle which said, "Mayibuye iAfrika" [Let Africa return], and that we can confidently reply to our people that, "Ibuyile iAfrika" [Africk has returned]. I believe that at the present moment we are only able to say so in hushed tones, because there are many of our people who will argue that, "Ayikabuyi iAfrika" [Africa had not returned].
The Green Paper process therefore will provides a platform for all South Africans who love and cherish the country to engage in a dialogue, which will make us get closer to a stage where the majority of our people will agree and say indeed, "Ibuyile iAfrika" [Africa has returned].
I thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]
UMntwana M M M ZULU: Sihlalo, mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe nePhini lakho, oNgqongqoshe abamele izifundazwe, kulo Mnyango omusha ngithi ngiyazi ukuthi ubhekene nezinselelo ezinqala ngokuthi yonke iMinyango ingenelela kuwe njengoba uphathiswe inhlabathi nje.
Ngabuka uhlelo lwakho lokusebenza ngabona ukuthi okunye uyakwazi ukukufeza. Ngqongqoshe kulesiya siFundazwe engisuka kuso seNkosi uDinizulu uma ngibheka amaphesenti ayi-13 womhlaba, usaphethwe ngabamnyama kodwa wonke lo omningi uma siyakumaphesenti angama-87 ulokhu ukwezinye izandla. Ngakho-ke Ngqongqoshe kulapho lakufanele ubone khona ukuthi abantu bakithi basese osizini lokungabi nawo umhlaba.
Ngiyazi ukuthi uphathiswe uMnyango obalulekile nakuba kuthiwa Isabiwomali Saphakathi Nonyaka sakho sangonyaka odlule sasisikhulu, kodwa kwasikhalisa thina njengeqembu leNkatha ukuba ucoshe imali eyizigidi ezingama-R256 kuphela. Kodwa ngiyabona ukuthi mhlambe Umcwaningi mabhuku-Jikelele akacabanganga ukuthi leziFundazwe eziyisishiyagalolunye zibhekene nawe ngqo.
Ngiyazi ukuthi kukhona umhlaba okuthiwa uhlezi kithi njengabaholi bomdabu,kodwalawa madolojana amancane, nomasipala abancane bayaye babe nenkinga enkulu ngoba ezindaweni ezinjengalaphaya ekhaya KwaNongoma, izinduna zezigodi ziyaye zibambise abantu isigxobo khona eduze nedolobha nje. Lezizinto ezinje kufanele nizibheke Nqgongqoshe, ukuthi kungeziwa njani ukuthi kuhlukaniswe omasipala basemakhaya nezindawo zamakhosi ukuze abantu bakwazi ukusizakale na. Uma ubheka idolojana elingangoKwaNongoma, oSuthu, naKwaMandlakazi lawo madolobha awanazo izindlela zokuthuthuka nanoma ngaluphi usuku ngoba izinduna zicabanga ngeyazo imicabango ngingakugxeki-ke lokho.
Izinselelo onazo, izinselelo okufunele ubhekane nazo njengendoda. Ngicela ukuthi ubheke ukuthi uzokwenza njani kodwa ngiyafisa ukuthi uhulumeni awuthathele phezulu lo Mnyango wakho, ngoba ubaluleke kunayo yonke iMinyango ekhona ngoba inhlabathi yingubo yethu yokulala. Inhlabathi sithola ukudla kuyo uqobo.
Ngaleyo ndlela njengeqembu le Nkatha isabiwomali sakho siyasesekela noma imali incanyana kodwa kuyofuneka ubheke ezinhlelweni zakhona ukuthi abantu bakithi basizakala kanjani ukuba bathole inhlabathi. Ngiyabonga. (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Prince M M M ZULU: Chairperson, hon Minister as well as your Deputy and the MECs representing the provinces, I know that this new department is facing major challenges because others are dependent on it as it deals with land.
I looked at your programme of action and noted that you were able to resolve other issues. Hon Minister, in iNkosi Dinizulu's province, where I come from, when I look at the percentage of the land, I find that only 13 per cent is in the hands of black people but the other large stretch of land - 87 per cent of it - is still in the hands of other people. That is where you are supposed to realise, hon Minister, that our people are still languishing in poverty for they do not have land.
I know that you are heading an important department and although it was said that your mid-term budget allocation for last year was sufficient, we were not satisfied as the IFP because you were only allocated R256 million. However, I realise that maybe the Auditor-General did not take into consideration the fact that all nine provinces are your responsibility.
I know that as traditional leaders we have access to land, but the small towns and the small municipalities are usually faced with big problems because in places like my hometown KwaNongoma, regional headsmen usually allocate plots to people close to town. You must look at such issues, hon Minister, to see how you are going to separate rural municipalities and tribal authorities' land so that communities could be assisted with regard to getting land. Towns like KwaNongoma, oSuthu and KwaMandlakazi have never had development programmes before, because headsmen just have their own ideas - not that I am criticising that.
Your challenges are challenges which you need to face like a man. I am asking you to look at ways in which to deal with this issue, but I would also like to ask the government to take this department seriously because it is the most important of all departments, because land is our blanket. Land also produces food.
In that way, as the IFP, we support your budget, although the allocation is so small you need to look into the programmes to see how our people could be assisted with regard to getting land. Thank you.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, hon MEC from the Western Cape, ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed an honour for me to rise in this House in support of Budget Vote No 32 of Rural Development and Land Reform for 2010-11. In fact, as Minmec, we have already supported the Budget Vote. We are calling for this endorsement with confidence that the budget policy presentation by the hon Minister will indeed significantly contribute to our vision of building viable, equitable and sustainable rural communities, with food security for all. In achieving this vision, we are guided by the hon President's state of the nation address of 2009-10 when he said that -
... abantu basemakhaya nabo banelungelo lokuba nogesi, namanzi, izindlu zangasese ezigijima amanzi, imigwaqo, izindawo zokuqeda isizungu nezemidlalo, kanye nezindawo zokuthenga eziphucukile njengasemadolobheni.
Nabo banelungelo lokusizwa kwezolimo ukuze bazitshalele imifino nokunye, bafuye nemfuyo bakwazi ukuziphilisa.
Sizimisele ukuqala lo mkhankaso wokwakha izingqalasizinda ezindaweni zasemakhaya. Uma sibambisene nezakhamizi, amakhosi, amakhansela, nezinduna siyokwazi ukuwusheshisa lo msebenzi. Uma sisebenza ngokubambisana sizokwenza okuningi. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[People from the rural areas also have a right to have electricity, water, flush toilets, roads and recreational and sports facilities, as well as decent shopping centres like those in the urban areas.
They also have a right to be assisted in respect of agriculture so that they can grow vegetables and other things, and have livestock in order to earn a living.
We are determined to start with this campaign of building infrastructure in the rural areas. If we work together with the communities, chiefs, councillors and headmen we will be able to speed up this task. If we work together we will do more.]
Therefore, Gauteng province supports the Minister's Comprehensive Rural Development Programme approach not only because it is in line with what the President said, but because it is in line with our ANC election manifesto, which has set a new course for postcolonial reconstruction and development which will be achieved through co-ordinated and broad-based agrarian transformation.
The hon Minister has indicated that this programme will focus on quite a number of things, and I quote:
Building communities through social mobilisation and institution- building; strategic investment in old and new social, economic, information and communication technology, ICT infrastructure and public amenities and facilities co-ordinated through the rural infrastructure programme; a new land reform programme implemented in the context of the reviewed land tenure system; the rendering of professional and technical services as well as effective and sustainable resource management through the component of geo-spatial services, technology development and disaster management; and the effective provision of cadastral and deeds registry, as well as surveys and mapping services.
It is in this context that our province, particularly the department, has recommitted itself to the development of rural areas within the province as a whole, even though many of our people in South Africa believe that rural development in Gauteng is a rumour. I would like to say this afternoon that this is not a rumour because it is indeed happening. [Laughter.]
I would also like to confirm that Gauteng is the smallest province in our country, covering only 1,7 million hectares or 1,4% of the total area. Of this, 438 628 hectares are potentially arable. This tells us that there is indeed rural development and agriculture in Gauteng. A total of 4% of the province's population resides in rural areas, including on agriculturally arable land. We can no longer continue to develop rural communities by chance. We have a clear strategy, plans, outcomes and outputs, as well as targets, in line with the national strategy and programme.
In the province, we have finalised the Gauteng comprehensive rural development strategy in line with the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme approach. We have also revised the Gauteng integrated food security strategy, and we are implementing these strategies accordingly.
We have also committed ourselves to working towards realising national outcomes 7 and 10 of the 12 outcomes pursued by the national government over the Medium-Term Strategic Framework period. We have already made mention of outcome 7. Outcome 10 is about protecting and enhancing our environmental assets and natural resources in urban and rural areas in particular. The success of these outcomes will also be measured through the delivery of outputs as outlined by the hon Minister: sustainable land reform; food security for all; rural development and sustainable livelihoods; as well as job creation linked to skills training. We in Gauteng have already adopted these outputs in line with the national outcomes.
On sustainable land reform, the Gauteng provincial government will work together with the national Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to ensure a democratic and equitable land allocation to our people. Indeed, at our Polokwane conference, we all agreed as the ANC that the willing- buyer, willing-seller model has not worked for our people, hence the initiative to review the legislation to allow equitable land allocation to take place in our country and in our province in particular, as well as to deracialise the rural economy for shared and inclusive growth.
We have already identified three pilot projects in Gauteng for comprehensive rural development. These are areas such as Devon in the Lesedi municipality, Hekpoort in the West Rand and Sekhulumi in Metsweding. Therefore, we are moving very fast in implementing the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme in line with our national principles, as outlined by the Minister and the department.
On rural development, we are promoting equitable development to overcome the urban-rural divide and to ensure that rural communities have access to decent services, infrastructure and economic opportunities. We will work together with all other provincial departments to build sustainable rural livelihoods because as a department alone we cannot achieve comprehensive rural development in Gauteng.
On food security for all, we will continue to intensify the establishment of food gardens. In fact, we did launch a campaign on one household, one food garden, especially in the 20 prioritised townships and in the 50 poorest wards in Gauteng. We will also continue to intensify the establishment of co-operatives in Gauteng and assist smallholder farmers to become commercial farmers. We will also continue to support commercial farming, including agro-processing.
We have also supported the Minister's job creation and skills training programme, and therefore we will continue to ensure that the prioritised households in the 50 poorest wards will benefit from the creation of decent jobs through our Expanded Public Works Programme in the rural and urban areas, the Community Works Programme and agricultural and rural infrastructure development.
Therefore, we support the national policy and legislative processes on agrarian transformation, rural development and land reform processes, including the Land Tenure Security Bill, amongst other things, in order to protect the rights of farm workers. Let us also report that we have convened a very successful summit in Gauteng with farm workers and the unions. We all agreed that we needed to see a cordial working relationship between farmers and farm workers and that the conditions of farm workers should indeed be improved.
We were sad to hear the farm workers saying that, after 16 years, they still do not feel part of the democracy and the freedom that we are enjoying today. Therefore, we will continue doing this work and ensure that there is a cordial working relationship between the farmers and the farm workers, with the aim of ensuring food security for all in Gauteng. Very soon we will also be consulting with our people in Gauteng on the Green Paper and the Bill that has been supported by Minmec.
Let me conclude by indicating that in the name of our Freedom Charter, Gauteng supports Budget Vote No 32. We believe that the national Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, led by the Minister, will succeed in achieving the outcome and the outputs that we have set for ourselves, as long as we work together with the provincial government, all departments, the local government, and most importantly, our communities, all roleplayers and stakeholders. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chair, hon Minister Nkwinti, special delegates, hon members of the NCOP, I know you must have wished me a speedy recovery. I have recovered from the procedure I underwent with remarkable speed, and I thank you.
We must know that when we speak about rural development, we are speaking about something that touches the nerve of poverty and backwardness of our rural community. It is from this that all historical systems of government, in their successive following, made certain that our rural communities were left in devastating and sustainable poverty, as is still the case even today.
We are happy that rural development has been identified as one of the development priorities in our country. More so, it will impact positively on the eradication of the degradation to which our people have been subjected. It will stimulate economic growth to its full potential and ensure a high level of social development.
South Africa, as an emerging leading light amongst developing nations of the world, on the African continent in particular, must take issues of rural development very seriously and with the determination to demonstrate how this can be done. We must also be aware of the fact that if we have to engage in real rural development, the first requirement would naturally be land acquisition.
We must do vigorous auditing to determine who owns what as well as the extent of the land. There are people sitting with several very big farms. I think we all know that land ownership is skewed in a particular direction. We have not yet made a significant dent in the landownership position of 1913. The majority of our people are still landless. With that, we cannot guarantee food security.
Whilst we commend our government for the enthusiasm, commitment and political willingness it has shown in making resources available to build infrastructure required for staging the 2010 Fifa World Cup tournament, we have seen organisational structures being set up as well as the unleashing of huge financial resources for the success of this soccer spectacle. We would like to see the same enthusiasm, commitment and political willingness in making meaningful resources available in support of rural development. It is only rural development that has the potential of pushing back the frontiers of poverty.
It is the responsibility of this activist Parliament, that has to pass laws, to make acquisition of land easier for equitable redistribution. The preamble of the Freedom Charter says, and I quote: "South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white." In my view that means that every South African must have a piece of land where he or she can conduct his or her own economic activities.
If rural development is carried out with the vigour it deserves, it can address many challenges facing our country. We should in fact start thinking about how we can unbundle these big metropolitan centres because eventually there will be no movement in these big centres.
It is also the responsibility of this activist government to pass laws that encourage and redirect investment from urban areas to rural areas. If we can do that, we will turn the tide that causes congestion in the metropolitan centres. Nation-building must be accompanied by concerted efforts to deliver our people from poverty to prosperity so that all can taste the fruits of the democracy they have fought so hard for.
Rural development will curb urban migration, which negatively impacts on existing urban infrastructure. It will eventually work to eradicate shack settlement, which makes our people lose their human dignity and self- respect.
Farm workers' position must be stabilised, and they must be given pieces of land where they can conduct their own agricultural activities and move from being perpetual workers to becoming emerging farmers. This would enable them to build houses for themselves, eat decent food, have clean running water in each household and send their children to the best schools.
I heard the MEC of the Western Cape saying that black farmers are are not widespread in the Western Cape. I don't know when that happened. Last year, intensive research was done by the South African media, and it focused on black people in the Western Cape - which opportunities they have. The findings were that whenever professional or senior jobs crop up, they are not even considered. They all complained about racism.
In conclusion ... [Interjections.]
Order! It is very difficult to stop a veteran of the ANC ... [Laughter.] ... but in terms of the time ... [Interjections.]
In conclusion, rural communities must live an organised life with sporting, cultural and social activities. They must have shopping centres nearby where they can buy their supplies with ease. They must have some means of transport for their local movement. [Interjections.] We support the budget. [Time expired.]
Chairperson, I will respond to just a few things because the hon Deputy Minister has really responded to quite a number of the issues which were raised by hon members. I don't want to go back to those. Just for emphasis, we have noted the point that has been made by all hon members in terms of the frustration that people are experiencing with regard to the question of restitution.
Hon members will be aware that our budget in the current financial year is just about R2 billion; it is R1,98 billion. It's very, very insufficient. However, we will do the best we can with the little that we have, given the current economic crisis in the world.
Furthermore, I would like to say that there were two critical elements in this Budget Vote speech. The first one is the land tenure system reform that we are proposing. The second one is the Land Tenure Security Bill that we have referred to. The tendency in South African debate with regard to the question of the three-tier system is that we should make sure that we retain the large-scale commercial farming system that we have. The reason is that it is supposed to be efficient, effective in food security and create jobs.
However, what drives land reform in South Africa is land redistribution. That is what drives land reform here. There is a huge gap between those who own land, and ... ... ndicinga ukuba uMntwana uyithethile loo nto. Isizathu kukuba abanye banomhlaba omkhulu ngeli lixa abanye bengenamhlaba. Le nto ibangela ukuba umahluko phakathi kwabantu abanezinto nabantu abangenazinto uye usiba mkhulu. Yiloo nto ebangele ukuba sithi makuhlengahlengiswe umhlaba ukuze kubekho ukulingana kwabantu ekubeni ngabanini-mhlaba. Xa abantu belingana ngokuba ngabanini-mhlaba bazakukwazi ukuvelisa, batye ukanti bakwazi nokuthengisa. Ngaloo ndlela uyakutsho uvaleke umsantsa phakathi kwabantu abanezinto nabo bangenazinto.
Ngoko ke, le nto yokuthi xa sihlengahlengisa ubunini-mhlaba sizakube siphazamisa imveliso, asiyonyaniso. Umzekelo, ukuba abantu baseMzantsi Afrika bathe xa bexoxa ngeli Phepha loGayo-zimvo babanoluvo lokuba ubukhulu bomhlaba wokuvelisa - le nto bathi ngesiNgesi yi-large-scale commercial farming - ngama-1000 eehektare, oko kukuthi ushishino ngomhlaba olunengeniso. Loo nto ke ithetha ukuba ukuba uNkwinti ungumnini weehektare ezingama-2000, uNkwinti kufuneka anikezele ngeliye iwaka leehektare aze agcine iwaka elinye elinokuthi mhlawumbi libekwe njengomda; ezo ziingxoxo eziza kubakho eMzantsi Afrika.
Kodwa ke, loo nto akufuneki ithethe ukuba iwaka eli uNkwinti anikezele ngalo, umzekelo kutata uMokgoro, liza kuba yilahleko kwimveliso. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[... I think the Prince referred to that. The reason is that some possess vast tracts of land while others do not even have land. This widens the gap between people who have assets and those who do not. That is why we are proposing land reform so that there can be equal ownership of land. If people have equal ownership of land, they will be able to produce, consume and sell their products. That way the wide gap between the haves and the have-nots will be reduced.
Therefore, claiming that land reform and ownership will affect production is not true. For example, if South Africans, when debating the Green Paper, are of the opinion that large scale farms must be 1 000 hectares big - we are talking here about commercial farming which refers to profit-making farming - that means that if Mr Nkwinti owns 2 000 hectares, he must hand over 1 000 hectares, which will leave him with the remaining 1 000 hectares, and that might be set as a minimum in the debates that will ensue in South Africa.
However, that should not mean that the 1 000 hectares that Mr Nkwinti has handed over to, for example, Mr Mokgoro, will be lost to production.]
It is not lost to production; it is retained. What has changed is the ownership pattern. The production pattern itself should remain. Whether it is foreign landownership or national landownership, the principle is going to be the same. Whether it is a black person or a white person, the principle is going to be the same. So, there shouldn't be any problem around this.
With regard to the second issue of the Land Tenure Security Bill, we have strongly introduced the concept of relative rights. The reason is that there are three classes of rights on the farm. For example, there is a worker who is a commuter, and this is a widespread phenomenon in South Africa today.
Bemkile abantu ezifama, bahlala elokishini okanye ezilalini. Kodwa ke, bayathuthwa yonke le mihla baye kusebenza ezifama ze babuye baze kuhlala kwasezilokishini okanye ezilalini. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[People have left the farms; they live in the townships and in the villages. However, they are provided with transport to and from work on a daily basis and after work they return to the townships or the villages.]
This is done so that the farmer doesn't have the responsibility of habitation.
The second class of rights is the one that relates to the people who are both dwellers and workers on the farm. This is a class of rights because these people are not only workers who have to be taken care of in terms of the Labour Relations Act, but they are also dwellers on the farm. This is the question of tenure. Therefore the second thing in terms of the protection of rights is the enhancement of security of tenure of the person who is a dweller on the farm.
The third one is production discipline. You would have noticed that production discipline runs across all these things, whether we are talking about the Bill or about the Green Paper. The reason is that we want to deracialise the rural economy. Issues of race are diminishing. The more we give black people land, the more they will become effective in production. The more the issues of class come to the fore in a more pronounced manner, the smaller the issue of race will become. Therefore, issues of race and farm size are not really going to be much of a problem as we move forward.
Lastly, I would like to talk about the institutional support system. In this regard, we have talked about a land management commission. Hon members will note that - even this year I'm sure - the department will be qualified by the audit. The reason is that we don't have and are unable to produce a credible asset register for land. Frankly, we don't know which land belongs to the state. But we must know. This is because land is a national asset and does not have to be declared. There is no nationalisation here; there is a conceptual issue here. The hon member from the ID talked about this point. Land is a national asset.
If one goes to the United States of America, one will find that the United States of America is defined in terms of land. The United Kingdom is defined in terms of land. South Africa is defined in terms of land space; it's a national asset. We are not talking about nationalisation, but we are saying it's our heritage; it's our asset as a nation. We must therefore have an institutional mechanism of protecting and, in fact, even establishing and maintaining the integrity of land as a national asset. So, this is what we mean when we say land is a national asset. We are not talking about nationalisation. Hon members must not get worried about this.
Furthermore, what we are saying is that the land management commission must be established in order for us to be able to ensure - through it - that we know every piece of land that belongs to the state. Secondly, we are saying that the state will have the first right of refusal when a private individual sells his or her land. This is where the question of integrity of the national asset comes in. One cannot just sell land. People are just selling land anywhere to anybody. If one does not manage the asset, our heritage, then we don't know what postcolonial reconstruction and development means.
We wish that hon members would support this one. We wish that you would support this proposal because through this land management commission, we, as South Africans, will be able to definitively say: This is what belongs to South Africa - this land. Thank you very much, hon Chair. [Applause.] Debate concluded.
Hon Minister, Deputy Minister and MECs present, there is a subject for debate which is on Africa Day. Yours is finished, but if you feel like being part of the House, you are welcome. If you have some other business to attend to, you are also welcome to go and attend to that business.
Hon members, may I take the opportunity to welcome the hon Deputy Minister S van der Merwe, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Co- operation, who will then introduce the subject matter for discussion. You are welcome, Deputy Minister. [Applause.]