Chair, in a speech to the National House of Traditional Leaders last week, President Jacob Zuma, on the issue of the agricultural land, quoted the ANC President of the 1940s, Dr A V Xuma, saying, ``the fundamental basis of all wealth and power is the ownership and acquisition of freehold title to land. From land, we derive our existence.''
At that time, of course, only about a quarter of all South Africans were urbanised. Today, about two-thirds live in cities. Surveys show that very few of South Africa's 35 million urban people want agricultural land. What they actually want is a stand with a decent house, better jobs, better services, a higher disposable income and better education for their children.
Overfocusing and playing on emotions around the issue of farmland has resulted in underdeveloped strategies for urbanisation and urban development, leaving many millions of people in 2015 living in badly developed townships and squatter camps, often very far from their workplace with no proper provision being made for those commuting to work.
It has been pointed out that for every one protest over agricultural land or poor rural conditions, there are several thousand protests over poor service delivery or lack of land in townships and squatter camps, many of them violent. If there is a threat to our stability, it is more likely to be about the quality of life of those who live in cities and towns, than because many of the agriculturalists we have are still white.
The ACDP calls on all levels of government and business to refocus ... Thank you. [Time expired.]