NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION
Question 58 for written reply: National Council of Provinces, Mr K A
Sinclair (COPE-NC) to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries:
Whether the R131.8 million in government aid that was promised to the
farmers in the Northern Cape in 2011 has been paid out in full to the
affected persons and areas; if not, (a) why not and (b) when will it be
paid out in full; if so, what are the relevant details? CW64E
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REPLY:
a) No. Following the budget adjustment allocations that were made in
November 2011, the Northern Cape Province was allocated R131 862
million to relieve farmers from the effects of the floods that took
place in the 2010/11 financial year. The primary output of this fund
was to repair agricultural infrastructure damaged by the floods as well
as to undertake soil conservation works. In the four months prior to
the end of the financial year 2011/12, the province prepared a detailed
business plan that covers but is not limited to the following:
I. Reimbursement or remuneration of affected farmers (where a farmer
has done the repair work themselves),
II. Repair work of damaged infrastructure (irrigation infrastructure,
bridges, sub-surface drainage systems, protection walls, canals
etc.),
III. Development of the master plan for the province,
IV. Lidar survey conducted, and
V. Environmental Impact Assessments done to inform implementation in
other areas.
As a result, not enough time was available for the province to execute
the plan and at the request of the province permission was granted by the
Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for the province to
defer the funds to the 2012/13 financial year. The province then passed
an Emergency Money Bill to reduce their 2011/12 appropriation by R131 862
million and appropriated those funds with the original estimates of the
2012/13 financial year.
b) The execution of the plan will be done in the 2012/13 financial year
and will be informed by the business plan.