House Chair, the Portfolio Committees on Rural Development and Land Reform, and on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries undertook a joint oversight visit to the Northern Cape from 28 February to 1 March 2011; Limpopo from 2 to 4 March 2011; Free State from 25 to 29 July 2011; and Mpumalanga from 2 to 5 August 2011.
We resolved to undertake a joint oversight visit to the provinces as mentioned. The committees jointly visited 45 projects as listed in table one of this report. The focus of the oversight visit was to assess the implementation of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, CRDP, and the land reform programmes of redistribution, restitution and tenure reforms. The CRDP, the strategic priority within the current Medium-Term Strategic Framework, MTSF, of government, seeks to enable people in rural areas to take control of their own destiny, with the support of government, through optimal use and management of natural resources, in order to achieve the creation of vibrant and sustainable rural communities.
The committees assessed progress with regard to land redistribution and provisional complementary support services. They focused on the interventions of the department as mentioned. The committees sought to assess the progress being made towards achieving outcome seven of the MTSF, which aimed to ensure "vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities and food security for all."
The following recommendations, among others, were agreed upon: the two departments should, within two months after the adoption of this report, report to Parliament about progress in the settlement and finalisation of all land claims lodged by 31 December 1998. The report should outline the verifiable number of land claims still to be settled and finalised; the estimated amount of funding required for settlement and finalisation of all claims; and plans to secure such funding and by when all those land claims will be settled.
The Portfolio Committee on Rural Development and Land Reform should, within two months of adoption of this report, present to Parliament verifiable statistics about performance of restitution since 1994 to date; and the information should clarify the 95% of settled land claims per province. There are further recommendations.
Lastly, I would like to point out that the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and also that of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries should enhance their capacity for co-ordination on land reform and agricultural support programmes integrated as a broader strategy for rural development. On behalf of the Rural Development and Land Reform and the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries portfolio committees, I table this joint report for consideration. I thank you. [Applause.]
There was no debate.
Chairperson, I move:
That the Report be adopted.
Declarations of vote:
Hon Chairperson, the DA supports the contents of the report, especially considering that the oversight visit was premised upon serious concerns around the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme. The report serves to confirm the joint portfolio committees' worst fears and their experience of our in situ visits, and to reinforce the grave reservations relating to the sustainable and future success of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme.
The oversight visits serve to entrench the fear that effective restitution, redistribution, rural development, and future food security are being compromised by questionable national and provincial implementation strategies. The conclusions of the report are candid and sobering, a sincere assessment of the dysfunctionality of strategies intended to deal with the legacy of oppression, dispossession, and disadvantage. The status of the progress with regard to restitution is in doubt due to unreliable and flawed data; land reform beneficiaries are floundering in a turbulence of debt that they neither understand nor are capable of servicing and dealing with. There is no effective pre- and post- settlement support for beneficiaries, many of whom have no inclination or passion to make a living from the land.
The collapse of extension training and support is directly responsible for this lamentable situation. The National Rural Youth Service Corps, Narysec, cannot and will not replace a knowledge-based extension service. The management of communal property association arrangements of beneficiary communities is riddled with fraud and corruption because there is neither credible nor reliable oversight and reporting on this form of communal ownership.
The recommendations are, I suppose, an endeavour to deal with all the issues that illustrate the fallibility of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme. What concerns the DA is the fact that there are less than either credible or realistic endeavours to turn the situation around, and most of the deadlines have passed already. The recommendations and relevant timeframes are also unrealistic as these very serious issues remain unresolved and have continued to hamstring effective, efficient and economic rural development and job creation in rural communities for the past 18 years.
The imminent commemoration of the 1913 Natives, Land Act should have been incentive enough to ensure realistic rural development and land reform; yet the looming of this awful milestone has not served as an incentive to change and uplift the lives of the rural poor. The co-operation of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and that of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has been suboptimal and lamentable in this regard.
Hon Chairperson, if this House passes reports with fine-sounding findings and legitimate and fine recommendations with no inclination or ability to deal with those recommendations timeously, we will again, next year, table a similar report and lament the fact that rural poor people remain poor and dependent on the ANC government's situation or pattern of patronage dispensation. We need to make sure that these two departments take the contents of this report into their planning to make sure that they can implement the recommendations of this House. Thank you, Chair. [Applause.]
Chairperson, the points raised by the hon member from the DA are quite interesting. The fact that the report has since been adopted by the committee without any of those questions he is raising now having been raised then, is quite unfortunate. We are informed by the Department of Public Works that the data that is being questioned represents an ongoing piece of work, as we have a department that is collaborating with other departments. As we all know, the data about land availability in the country does not get to be confined to only one department.
Regarding extension services, this is a matter that the Department of Agriculture has raised genuinely. It is not a secret to suggest that this is one area in which the department is seriously lacking. The unrealistic timeframes are an issue that the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform have to deal with quite substantially.
Talking about service to the poorer communities as the hon member has done from this platform, and paying such lip service as the hon member has done, is not going to win them any votes. The programmes that our ANC-led government is involved in are programmes that talk directly to the improvement of the lives of our ordinary people, the poorer individuals and the working class in general. For us to hear from this podium any member talking about the service delivery to the poor having to be compromised is not going to take us forward in any way, until we find ourselves in a situation where, through your programmes, you win more votes. You will always fail because you remain to be a white party until Jesus comes. Thank you. [Interjections.]
Chairperson, on a point of order: Is it parliamentary for hon Johnson to make a racist statement by saying that the DA is a white party?
Order, hon members! The reference is made towards a political party and not to any individual Member of Parliament in the House. Thus, it is not unparliamentary. Motion agreed to.
Report accordingly adopted.