Hon Chairperson, Minster and the Deputy Minister, hon members, MECs present, my fellow colleagues representing local government in the NCOP, ladies and gentlemen, I firstly would like to welcome and congratulate the new Minister and the two Deputies on their appointment to such a critical portfolio, particularly at this time in the history of our country.
We have engaged with department of Agriculture and actively worked with Department of Rural Development and Land Reform in the Fifth Administration and look forward to working well with the new merged department in addressing numerous challenges and opportunities that the country currently faces. Effectively, collaboration through the various intergovernmental relations platforms will ensure that the various communities that we lead emerge victoriously.
The Minister made reference to agri-parks that were initiated by the establishment, est. wild Department of Rural Development and Land Reform has indicated that this can change the phase of agriculture in a big way if managed well. District mayors have been given the responsibility to coordinate the support of these parks and SALGA welcomes this opportunity. It will work well to re-engage with the district mayors to reaffirm the support of the local government sector regarding this initiative. It will be critical to clarify and consolidate the role that is expected from them. It is also critical to align and coordinate the various initiatives undertaken by the former Department of Agriculture noting that all the initiatives learned on the table of the one mayor in respect of a district.
Poor coordination may risk undermining otherwise potential useful initiatives. The merging of the two departments will go a long way to enhance this coordination under your leadership and we stand ready to work with you in this regard. We invite you to engage with the leadership of SALGA to explore how best the department and the sector can assist one another in pursue of our common goals.
It will be amice not recognise that a lot has achieved in the delivery of basic services since 1994 including access to housing, water and electricity as indicated in the various reports. Not
withstanding this however, as you indicated the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality remains stubbornly with us. The objectives of special justice, equality, special transformation inclusive economic growth and development remain illusive.
Many disenfranchised communities continue to be denied access to employment and economic opportunities by among others being geographically located far from such opportunities and by being structurally excluded from land markets in metropolitan areas, intermediary cities, small towns and rural areas. This denies them the opportunity to participate meaningfully in socio economic activities ranging from agricultural and food production to real estate in urban areas.
While we know the land reform process that seeks to enable more previously disadvantaged people to participate in agricultural and food production, we would also like to highlight the importance of land reform in our cities and towns. Challenges in urban land reform have compromised the ability of government in general and local government in particular to facilitate special transformation and thus more efficient urban economies.
The key sign of challenges regarding urban land reforms include but are not limited to: increasing unauthorised land or occupation in many cities and towns; urban growth patens that are driven by market forces and not aligned to long term strategic visions of inclusive growth and development as articulated in the municipalities' Integrated Development Plan, IDPs, and Spatial Development Frameworks, SDFs; and housing developments for poor people are generally located on the periphery of urban areas away from economic and employment opportunities.
It is against this background that SALGA resolved at its national conference in 2016 to undertake a process that will assist municipalities with their land acquisition and release processes in support of land reform and gear towards special transformation especially in urban areas. This must lead to sustainable integrated and inclusive development.
Research has been undertaken which has proposed recommendations in support of municipalities, land acquisition and release processes. The recommendation has been processed through various structures including the minmack on rural development and land reforms in the Fifth Administration.
A key trust of these is collaboration where municipalities are empowered to acquire and dispose of land in a manner that is anchored on their respective spatial development framework, thus enabling them to drive special transformation more effectively. In the same token the disposal process of land owned by others spheres of government and state owned entities must consider special transformation informed by the spatial development framework.
We pledge to continue working with the department to ensure the effective implementation of these objectives related to special justice, equalities, special transformation, inclusive economic growth and development. This includes the need to work together, request for the department to support municipalities in the development of such audits. When we talk about these audits, if you go to different municipalities, I would like to make an example about Buffalo City as well as Mangaung and others, they are state owned entities, they own a lot of land and there is nothing that they are doing about that.
So, it is very important to audit this land so that there is a relationship between the department and different municipalities. The department has committed to provide the necessary report as requested; once again, I wish you and the entire leadership of the
department well on the task ahead and further pledge our commitment to work with you in pursuit of improving the lives of our communities in municipalities across the length and breadth of our country. I thank you.