Hon Deputy Speaker, I am astounded by the part-time participant from the DA. [Interjections.] She depends entirely on what she reads in newspapers and not on what takes place in the portfolio committee because she is never there. [Interjections.]
We had a series of portfolio committee meetings where we honestly dealt with the officials. We dealt with the Minister and the Deputy Minister on the issues that are challenges to the department. We collectively agreed that there is a marked improvement in the performance of that department, despite its lack of funding.
We collectively agreed that that department is improving in its capacity to deal with the information in front of it and the challenges it is facing. That is why it is very strange today that they should disagree with us when she was not even there.
The last issue is that it is very worrisome when people who represent the nation in this House come here and set the commercial farmers against communities. They stoke fires about the court cases which are lodged by the commercial farmers against the department. The real reason - they know - is that there are law firms that are scouring the countryside, looking at farmers whose farms have been declared candidates for land claims. Yet they come to this House and say those court cases are a danger to the budget of the department, when they themselves are collaborating with those law firms. [Interjections.]
The Ministry is meeting with the commercial farmers next week, on 29 June 2011, where these matters will be debated. While they in this House create enmity between the communities and those farmers, we will not be diverted by those scarecrows. We will go forward and support this Budget Vote. [Applause.]
Division demanded.
The House divided: