moved that the Reports be adopted.
Hon members, there is too much movement. Will you please take your seats? Thank you.
Declarations of vote:
House Chair, this is the department responsible for the hot topic of land reform in South Africa. It has a mandate of creating and maintaining an equitable and sustainable land dispensation. It must act as a catalyst in rural development to ensure sustainable rural livelihoods, decent work and continued social and economic advancement of South Africans. But, this department is spectacularly failing in its mandate.
Afrikaans:
En dit is geen wonder dat hierdie department faal nie. Korrupsie en wanadministrasie is aan die orde van die dag. Ek haal aan uit ons verslag: ...
English:
... "Fraud and corruptions pose a risk to successful land reform and rural development."
Afrikaans:
Die department strompel van die een projek na die ander sonder behoorlike beplanning en beleid in plek. Dit is so erg dat die department nou basies deur ons land se howe
bestuur word, nadat hul die een hofsaak na die ander verloor.
'n Tipiese voorbeeld van hierdie wanfunksie binne die department kan gesien word in die Rakgase-saak, waar die department nou deur die howe gedwing word om staatsgrond aan 'n swart boer the verkoop, dit omdat die staat se eie beleidvoorstel - dat grond na vyf jaar aan boere beskikbaar gestel kan word - nie gevolg word nie.
Na al die moeite om hof toe te gaan het die departement nou nog nie aan Mnr Rakgase'n koopkontrak gegee nie.
Die hof het verder gevra dat 'n gedeelte van die departement deur'n administrateur bestuur word. Beleidsonsekerheid en verandering van planne het ons nou gedwing om te kyk na die verandering van ons land se Grondwet. Daar is niks fout met ons Grondwet nie. Ruk die departemente van grondhervorming en landbou reg.
English:
It has been reported or confirmed today that there is a new outbreak of Foot-and-mouth disease in the country.
This after the Agricultural Research Council had failed to complete their research facilities for Foot-and-mouth disease.
Afrikaans:
Die droogte het ook 'n erge uitwerking op ons land, en ons vra die departement om die droogte as 'n ramp te verklaar. Dankie. [Tyd verstreke.]
House Chair, despite defining and false euphoria about nonracial unity and various attempts to paint a picture of South Africa as a nation. The reality of the matter is that we are yet to be a nation. We are as divided as ever before of the pervasive colonial and apartheid denialism in this country.
At the centre of it all, is the failure of this government to resolve the colonial and apartheid question on land dispossession. Twenty-five years after attaining political freedom, whites still own over 70% of the land and Africans just less than 4%.
The various land reform interventions made since 1994 have drastically failed. Rather, beneficiaries of colonial and apartheid theft have benefitted the most from the post-1994 land reform experiment. The illegitimate owners of MalaMala Game Reserve were gifted R1 billion and are still benefiting from the partnership arrangement there.
Billions of rand have been spent on buying stolen land from white settlers since 1994 and we have not seen the same amount of money invested in ensuring that the black beneficiaries of land are supported,
In addition, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has been paying lip service to the development of black farmers for a while. There is no coherent plan to support new entrants to the sector and those already in it are struggling because the government's support comes in an unco- ordinated manner.
There is over R150 million that was meant for transforming the agricultural sector that is sitting with the Land Bank since 2009 meant for the AgriBEE agreement.
None of this money has been used for the development of black farmers. As the EFF, we reject this Budgetary Review and Recommendation Report, BRRR.
House Chairperson, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform have been neglecting the smallholder farmers as well as subsistence farmers. The department does not sufficiently monitor how these farmers have progressed through the assistance given to them. They seemingly have been left out in the cold.
These farmers occupy an area in the industry of vulnerability. They are expected to maximise production as well as sustain employment as the previous owners did. The use of mentors and strategic matters has also not paid the intended dividends.
We see that much of the funds allocated for farmers to use for development are diverted to the pockets of the mentors and strategic partners. This issue has an obviously negative on this vulnerable group's ability to run a farm successfully.
Consequently, this has led to the perception that land reform farmers are incompetent and failures. We find that the department has also been leasing farms to people without the proper verification system in place to assess their ability and knowledge of the farming industry.
Together with short leasing periods and the lack of due diligence we often see land reform projects failing. The failure of land reform and to ensure the success of smallholder farmers affects South Africa's food security.
Our Constitution enshrines the right to food security and emphasises the duty of the state to formulate legislation and measures to achieve the realisation of these progressive rights.
The right to food is not limited to one group of people but for everyone regardless of their dispossession and must be available, accessible and adequate. South Africa's own National Development Plan, NDP, and global Sustainable Development Goals both prioritise the realisation of proper food security and to end hunger. [Time expired.]
IsiZulu:
Kunjalo siwawuxhasa umbiko, Sihlalo. Ngiyabonga.
Afrikaans:
Voorsitter, hierdie is twee uiters belangrike departemente wat nou saamgevoeg is, maar die prentjie is duister as die Minister nie daarin kan slaag om hulle om te keer nie.
Die oudituitkomste skets 'n prentjie van verswakking in beide die voormalige Departement van Landbou, Bosbou en Visserye, sowel as die departement van Grondhervorming en Landelike Ontwikkeling, asook hul entiteite.
Suid-Afrika se hoofbouers - ons boere, wit en swart - word uitgelewer aan uiterse klimaatveranderinge en mislukte departementele projekte wat niemand ophef of help nie. Komersile landbouers moet ondertsteun en beskerm word, om sodoende nodige werksgeleenthede te bou en selfs uit te brei, volhoubare landelike ekonomi te skep, en voedselsekerheid te bevestig.
Die fokus van die departement bly egter op gefaalde, halfgebakte projekte soos agriparke wat op papier pragtig lyk, maar in die praktyk onuitvoerbaar was en misluk het.
Die komitee het met mooi prentjies en beloftes suksesvolle agriparke voorsien, maar op nadere inspeksie het dit geblyk of hierdie prentjies nie die een-honderd persent korrekte waarheid was nie.
Die ophef van swart boere tot op komersile vlak slaag nie as gevolg van sulke mislukte projekte nie. Tans het meer as 20% van huishoudings in Suid- Afrika nie voldoende toegang tot voedsel nie, en daarom moet ons voedselsekerheid beskerm deur komersile landbou te stimuleer en te ontwikkel.
Die nuwe saamgevoegde departemente het nodig om die skakelinge tussen nasionale, provinsiale en munisipale vlak te bewerkstelling om sodoende te voorsien dat projekte nie tussen die krake val en 'n teelaarde vir korrupsie word nie.
Dit is nodig om te verseker dat voorsieningskettingbestuurprosesse korrek funksioneer, nakoming van wetgewing gehoorsaam word en, mees belangrik, die politieke wil daar is om dinge te verander en projekte suksesvol te maak.
Groot drome kan gedroom word, maar as die regte en soms ongewilde besluite nie geneem word nie, sal Suid-Afrika se mense altyd honger ly. Dankie.
House Chair, in considering this report the ACDP is keenly aware that the mandate of the committees to consider, amend and or initiate legislation specific to or impacts on agriculture, land reform and rural development; monitor and oversee the activities and performance of the Ministry and the former Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and its entities.
The department was appropriated R7,7 billion in the financial year under review, a significant increase from the R6,7 billion that was appropriated in the 2017-18 financial year. As a result of underexpenditure in 2018-
19, the department surrendered R170 million to the National Treasury's National Revenue Fund.
The ACDP finds this alarming particularly when land claims have not been settled. When millions of South Africans are eagerly awaiting to become first-time land and homeowners and when thousands of potential farmers are waiting for assistance so that they can play a role in food security and become productive members of our bleeding economy. The department surrenders a R170 million to the National Treasury's National Revenue Fund.
With unemployment at the highest in decades, a budget deficit climbing to 6% of GDP, debt-to-GDP set to break 70% by 2022-23, junk status that would raise the cost of servicing our debt staring us in the face, a Gini coefficient that is making us the most unequal nation in the world.
We must come to the realisation that amending the Constitution to provide for land expropriation without compensation is not the panacea to the land question but
possibly the final straw that breaks the economy's back. I thank you.
House Chair, it is good and proper that I speak before the Inkosi [Chief] so that I can pave the way. We are all looking forward to the amendment of Section 25 and also waiting for the scientific and smart system that is going to be used when expropriating land without compensation.
The mandate and priorities of this department should be in line and are in line with the National Development Plan. Land reform should include the rural areas and also create jobs and alleviate poverty which is one of the triple challenges facing our country.
Therefore, now, we should provide food security because our people have long been living in poverty. So it is important now that you should provide food security. Of course, the people in the land now should be given proper skills so they know exactly what is it they can do with the land that is being given to them.
The mission and vision of this department is that, "vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities." This mission now must be accomplished for the purpose of having our people living in a better place in their land.
Land ownership is very crucial because it brings dignity to the people of Africa more especially those that were previously disadvantaged. So the partnership with all sectors of society will bring about the integrated development and the social cohesion that is always spoken about. We support this report. Thank you very much.
House Chair, the ANC in its Ready to Govern: Policy guidelines states that I quote:
The state must help new farmers to farm their land provide them with training and extension work and further provide them with financial aid, subsidies to promote good farming practices.
This emphasis on adequate funding is to ensure the success of all programmes and entities in order to boost productivity and exports. Land hunger has reached a
crisis point and therefore our Land Reform programme is about redressing historical injustices and unlocking growth for socioeconomic transformation. The recommendation around policy gaps and inefficiencies in departmental performance and monitoring of its entities must be strengthen accordingly. All outstanding land, restitution claims must be settled within the legal provisions. We commend the successful work of the department and further call for the intensification and rollout to areas of most impoverished and land hunger and unemployment. The transformation of the rural landscape carries with it a renewed hope that we indeed can create and build a South Africa with a better quality for life for all by removing the vestiges of colonialism and apartheid.
House Chairperson on behalf of the ANC, I hereby support the BRRR of the Portfolio Committee of Vote 24 Agriculture and Vote 39 of Land Reform and Rural Development. I thank you.
Sepedi:
MODULASETULO WA NGWAKO (Moh M G Boroto): Ngwana a pho?a dira ga a bolawe. Sefepisegolo sa mokgatlo wo mogolo, naa re dirang ka pego?
Dr M C C PILANE-MAJAKE ON BEHALF OF THE CHIEF WHIP OF THE
MAJORITY PARTY: House Chairperson, I moved that the Reports be adopted.