Hon House Chair, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members of the NCOP, fellow health members, fellow South Africans, ...
Afrikaans:
... dit is vir my werklik vandag 'n groot voorreg om die hor Huis van die Parlement van Suid-Afrika oor 'n belangrike aangeleentheid soos di van grondhervorming en landelike ontwikkeling toe te kan spreek.
English:
Rural development and land reform is arguably one of the most sensitive topics in our country today, and if it is not handled correctly, it will have dire and long-lasting consequences for every South African.
Hon Minister, the vision statement of your Ministry states that it wants "vibrant, equitable, sustainable rural communities". However,
should you travel the back roads into the deep rural areas of our country, you will realise how far your Ministry is from achieving the goals stated in your vision statement.
Just last week, I spoke to Mrs Koketso Paul of Batlharos in the Northern Cape, where there are many subsistence farmers that struggle to make ends meet. The only source of water for their life stock is a small natural dam that is filled in the rainy season, and usually dries up during winter time. This small filthy dam is also the only source of water available for human consumption in that specific area. It is unacceptable that people must still fetch the water for their households with old plastic paint buckets from the same small dirty dam that their cattle, sheep and goats are drinking from.
In the Kalahari, there are many medium to small-scale farmers who realised a long time ago that they are interdependent, and need each other, because government is not assisting them with the supply of a basic need such as water for their livestock.
Afrikaans:
Heelwat van hierdie opkomende boere het steeds nie 'n enkele boorgat om aan hulle water te voorsien nie. As dit nie was vir die feit dat
kommersile boere in daardie area behulpsaam was en daardie opkomende boere gehelp het om water aan hulle te voorsien nie, sou daardie opkomende boere nie water gehad het om te kan boer nie.
English:
These are but a few of the problems that people must deal with when you travel in the rural areas of our country. Hon Minister, when you reflect on this, I hope that you realise that your department is still a very long way off from achieving your vision of "vibrant, equitable, sustainable rural communities".
The facts are however letting me believe that the ANC government is not serious about rural development. At Umzimvubu in the Eastern Cape, where almost a third of South Africa's water is flowing into the Indian Ocean via the Umzimvubu River, for years, there have been plans to establish a hydro electrical scheme. Should this hydro electrical system be built, it will have huge economical benefits for that whole rural area.
The building of these dams will ensure water supply to households and the industry, as well as to irrigate agriculture and to generate a large amount of hydropower. This however raises the question why this government has not implemented this long overdue plan, but
rather opted for failures such as Medupi and Kusile power stations in order to generate power to our country.
Afrikaans:
Die droogte wat boere tans in die Noord-Kaap in die gesig staar is van die ergste en langste droogtes ooit. Hierdie droogte raak alle boere, klein of groot, wit, swart of bruin. Almal se diere vrek op strepe, en indien daar nie vinnig hulp kom nie, gaan hierdie probleem net groter word. Die geld wat daardie boere van die regering kry om hulle tydens hierdie droogte by te staan, is nie 'n druppel in die emmer van wat hulle nodig het om deur die droogte te kan kom nie. Die leier van die DA, Mmusi Maimane, het daarom in hierdie week versoek dat die Premier van die Noord-Kaap die gebied as 'n droogte rampgebied moet verklaar.
Indien daar nie spoedig bogemiddelde renval plaasvind nie, is die vooruitskatting dat daar teen Desember 2019, meer as een miljoen groot ve- eenhede soos beeste sal vrek, om nie eers van die wild te praat nie. Dit is verliese van meer as R10 biljoen wat die boere van die Noord-Kaap kan ly. Ek s weer, swart, wit en bruin boere.
Indien die regering werklik ernstig is oor die beskerming van ons boere, asook die ontwikkeling van ons landelike gebiede sal hulle
spoedig gehoor moet gee aan hierdie versoek wat mnr Maimane namens die boere van die Noord-Kaap gerig het.
Indien dit nie gedoen word nie, sal die gevolge absoluut ramspoedig wees. Buiten die meer as 'n miljoen diere wat kan vrek, is daar ook tot soveel as 62 000 werksgeleenhede wat tot niet kan gaan. Dink daaraan. Daar is 62 000 mense wat as gevolg van hierdie droogte nie meer werk sal h nie.
Die hele kwessie rondom grondhervorming is sekerlik een van die mees sensitiewe aangeleenthede in Suid-Afrika. Die agb Minister het in haar begrotingsdebat in die Nasionale Vergadering ges dat sy 'n langtermyn oplossing hieroor wil vind. Agb Minister, ek kan u die versekering gee dat die langtermynoplossing nie is om grond te onteien sonder vergoeding nie. Hierdie is 'n beleidsrigting wat die ANC skaars twee jaar gelede nog eenparig in hierdie Parlement teengestaan het en nou verander hulle hul deuntjie. Agb Minister, u weet so goed soos ek dat dit maar slegs 'n rookskerm en 'n weerligafleier is vir die feit dat hierdie ANC-regering nie grondhervorming korrek toegepas het nie.
Die probleem met grondhervorming is nie die Grondwet nie. Dit is ook nie die onwilligheid van boere in Suid-Afrika om grondhervorming te
maak werk nie. Nee, dit is die korrupsie en swak regering binne die ANC wat in die pad staan van suksesvolle grondhervorming.
English:
It is not me that says this. This statement was supported by the high-level panel under the leadership of former President Kgalema Motlanthe, which stated that the Constitution was not the reason for the failure of land reform, but that the failures were due to poor implementation of policy, corruption and a lack of urgency by this government.
The hon President said in his state of the nation address that government will rapidly release state land for human settlement and agriculture. We do however need to ask why this is only addressed now. This should have been done a long time ago.
Afrikaans:
Dit bring my by die vraag: Hoe is dit moontlik - ek sluit aan by die agb Beyers Smit - dat hierdie aankondiging deur die President gemaak is, as daar geen geld in die begroting hiervoor bewillig is nie? Kan die President werklik ernstig wees met dit wat hy in die state of the nation address [staatsrede] aan ons s, as daar geen geld daarvoor is nie?
English:
Some of the best arable land in our country is in the hands of the government, while some of the poorest people are living on this land. We need to transfer the land to that people so that they can work their own land and earn their own living.
It is furthermore of utmost importance that training and further assistance must be given to emerging farmers that get land from the government. This week, the Select Committee on Appropriations received a letter from Mr Joseph Kanyile from Melmoth in KwaZulu- Natal. In his letter, he states that in 2000, they have received land through the willing-buyer, willing- seller concept. They have however since then never received any training or further assistance from government. Hon Bebee used many abbreviations and she used the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme, Casp. If Casp was successful, then Mr Joseph Kanyile from Melmoth would have received money and assistance. I think we are setting these people up for failure, if we do not help them afterwards.
Through you, Chair, the hon Bebee used a lot of abbreviations today
- a huge lot. I wonder whether you know the abbreviation: N.O.N.S.E.N.S.E. That is what you and the hon Koni talked a lot about today. [Interjections.] N.O.N.S.E.N.S.E. stands for nonsense,
because it was a lot of nonsense that you spoke here today. [Interjections.]
Hon Minister, successful voluntary partnerships in the form of share-equity schemes can drive transformation in the agricultural sector as a celebrated act of nonracial unity, ... I am checking my time.