Mnr die Voorsitter, in teenstelling met die veronderstelling van die voorsitter van hierdie komitee gaan ek hom vandag baie teleurstel. Ek gaan nie probeer goedkoop politieke punte aanteken soos wat hy nou net gedoen het nie.
Inteendeel, ek wil die Minister baie gelukwens met die dramatiese verandering van rigting met betrekking tot die nuwe toetreders tot die landbou van 'n toestand van bestaans- en oorlewingsboerdery na die ontwikkeling van kommersile swart boere.
Mnr Mpalata het tereg ges swart boere wil nie net kleinboere bly nie; hulle wil getel word onder die grootstes in Suid-Afrika, ook onder die grootstes in die wreld. Dit is moontlik as ons kyk na die landbougrond in Suid-Afrika, wat oor die algemeen baie goed ontwikkel is. Selfs plekke soos die Knersvlakte en Verneukpan is goed ontwikkel. Suid-Afrika hoef vir geen land terug te staan nie!
Die DP is dankbaar dat die fokus van grondhervorming merkbaar verskuif het van die aanteken van die aantal begunstigdes en hektaar uitgedeel na grondhervormingspraktyke wat lewensvatbaar en finansieel volhoubaar is. Die nuwe beleidsdirektiewe het gewys dat grondhermvorming nie kan slaag as dit nie op 'n gekordineerde en gentegreerde wyse aangepak word nie.
Ek merk in die verslag van die direkteur-generaal dat hy s:
Herverdeling van grond kan bydra tot groter gelykheid en toenemende effektiwiteit in die landelike sektor.
Hy meld verder dat die toelaagstelsel voortgaan, maar dat dit hersien sal word om toegang tot grond te verbeter volgens die kategorie waarvoor die toelaag bestem is. Dit is egter nie waar dit ophou nie.
Wat my bekommer, is dat ek nrens in die begroting merk dat daar voorsiening gemaak word vir bestaansboere nie, en hulle bestaan wel. Hulle is 'n gegewe, net soos die bestaansvisserman. Geen voorsiening is gemaak vir die basiese behoeftes van landbou nie, en daar is geen voorsiening vir basiese navorsing nie.
Ons neem met besorgdheid kennis van die feit dat daar 'n 15,9%-afname in die beraamde besteding vir die boekjaar 2000-01 gaan wees. Ons kan dit by herhaling s: enige plek in die wreld, enige tyd in die geskiedenis is die hulp aan die armstes 'n welsynfunksie, maar dan moet die begroting voldoende wees.
Met die fisieke aspek van hulp aan die armes kan landbou vir seker help, maar ek glo as 'n mens iets aanpak, veral in die landbou, moet jy daarmee deurdruk, maak nie saak waar die fondse vandaan kom nie. Indien 'n projek nie deurgevoer word nie, het dit tot gevolg armlastiges op die platteland, die vernietiging van die lewens van die mense, die vernietiging van die bodem, en maatskaplike probleme wat geslagte gaan neem om te herstel.
Die oplossing l dus nie by landbou of by grondsake nie, maar by die vestiging, opleiding, ondersteuning en opvolging van mense. Ons kan nie net mense vestig nie, alhoewel daar ongeveer 25 miljoen hektaar staatsgrond is. Ons wil nie h die grond moet ongebruik of onbewerk l nie. Zimbabwe is 'n voorbeeld van waar mense net gevestig is. Dr Dambaza het in 1992 ges, toe hy uitgevra is oor ondersteuningsprojekte en grondvestiging: ``Elke Zimbabwir weet hoe 'n mielie lyk en hoe 'n mielie geplant word,'' en kyk hoe lyk Zimbabwe vandag! Staatsgrond moet benut word deur spesifieke en gefokusde projekte.
Die Minister, kan ek sien, is ernstig oor samewerking en vennootskappe. Boere en georganiseerde landbou is s begerig om betrokke te raak. Nampo is byvoorbeeld betrokke by inisiatiewe in Transkei, die Vrystaat en Gauteng. Die Landboubesigheidskamer het reeds 40 projekte onderneem, sommige kleiner en ander aansienlik groter. Werkbare vennootskapsmodelle wat reeds gemplementeer word, is kontrakboerdery, satellietboerdery en vennootskappe. Hulp word ook verleen by wyse van voorligting en bemarking.
Die waarde van die sekerheid van eiendom en die sekerheid van transportaktes moet nie onderskat word nie, want dit bied sekuriteit en bedingingsmag in die sin van lenings. Die Europese platteland was armlastig tydens die feodale periode. Net kloosters het toe sekerheidsreg geniet. Toe die feodale stelsel begin verkrummel, het mense eiendomsreg verkry en die toestande op die platteland het drasties verbeter.
Daarom is dit baie belangrik om stelsels te ontwikkel, in samewerking met die tradisionele owerhede, waarvolgens die een wat die risiko neem om die grond te bewerk - nie noodwendig die persoon wat daar bly nie - die grond kan huur, al is dit teen 'n huurpag van 30 jaar of 50 jaar, sodat hy dit uiteindelik kan besit.
Daar is 'n groot bohaai oor Esta, en alhoewel daar mense s wat verneuk word - ek praat dit ook nie goed nie, ek dink dit is 'n skande - gaan dit oor die reg van 'n beperkte aantal mense. Vir my is die werklike probleem die miljoene mense wat afhanklik is van die bestaan op die grond, maar geen wetlik afdwingbare reg het om die grond wat hulle bewerk te besit nie en dit daarom ook nie kan ontwikkel nie. [Tyd verstreke.] [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Mrs A M VERSVELD: Mr Chairman, in contrast with the supposition of the chairperson of this committee, today I am going to disappoint him terribly. I am not going to try to score cheap political points, as he has just done.
On the contrary, I want to congratulate the Minister on the dramatic change of direction in respect of the new entrants to the agriculture from a situation of subsistence and survival farming to the development of commercial black farmers.
Mr Mpalata quite rightly said black farmers did not want to remain small farmers; they wanted to be counted among the greatest in South Africa, also among the greatest in the world. This is possible if we look at the agricultural land in South Africa, which is very well developed in general. Even places such as the Knersvlakte and Verneukpan are well developed. South Africa need not take a back seat to any country!
The DP is grateful that the focus of land reform has visibly moved from the noting of the number of beneficiaries and the hectares handed out to land reform practices that are viable and financially sustainable. The new policy directives have shown that land reform cannot succeed if it is not tackled in a co-ordinated and integrated manner.
I notice that in the report of the director-general he says:
Redistribution of land can contribute to greater equality and increasing effectiveness in the rural sector.
He furthermore says that the grant system will continue, but that it will be reviewed to improve access to land according to the category for which the grant is intended. This is not where it ends, however.
What concerns me is that I do not notice anywhere in the budget that provision has been made for subsistence farmers, and they do in fact exist. They are a given, just like the subsistence fishermen. No provision has been made for the basic needs of agriculture, and no provision has been made for basic research.
We take note, with concern, of the fact that there is going to be a 15,9% decline in the estimated expenditure for the 2000-01 financial year. We can say repeatedly: Any place in the world, any time in history, aid to the poorest remains a welfare function, but then the budget should be adequate.
With the physical aspect of assistance to the poorest agriculture can certainly help, but I believe that if one tackles anything, in agriculture in particular, one should keep at it, no matter where the funds come from. If a project is not followed through it results in indigence in the rural areas, the destruction of the lives of people, the destruction of the earth and social problems that would take generations to restore.
The solution therefore does not lie with agriculture or land affairs, but the settlement, training, support and follow-up of people. We cannot just settle people, although there are about 25 million hectares of state land. We do not want the land to go unused or uncultivated. Zimbabwe is an example of where people were only settled. Dr Dambaza said in 1992, when he was asked about support projects and land settlement: ``Every Zimbabwean knows what a mealie looks like and how a mealie must be planted,'' and look at Zimbabwe today! State land must be utilised by way of specific and focused projects. The Minister, I can see, is serious about co-operation and partnerships. Farmers and organised agriculture are so keen on becoming involved. Nampo, for example, is involved in initiatives in the Transkei, the Free State and Gauteng. The Agricultural Business Chamber has already undertaken 40 projects, some smaller and some considerably larger. Viable models for partnerships that are already being implemented are contract farming, satellite farming and partnerships. Assistance is also being rendered by way of extension and marketing.
The value of the safety of property and the safety of title deeds should not be underrated, because this offers security and bargaining power in the sense of loans. The European rural areas were poverty-stricken during the feudal period. Only convents had certainty of tenure at the time. When the feudal system started crumbling people obtained property rights, and conditions in the rural areas improved dramatically.
For that reason it is very important to develop systems, in co-operation with the traditional authorities, according to which the one who takes the risk of cultivating the land - not necessarily the one who lives there - may hire the land, even if this is in terms of a 30-year or 50-year leasehold, so that he may eventually own it.
A great fuss has arisen concerning Esta, and although there are people who are being swindled - I am not defending this, I think it is a disgrace - it is about the right of a limited number of people. To me the real problem concerns the millions of people who depend on subsistence on the land, but who have no legally enforceable right to own the land that they cultivate and for that reason cannot develop it either. [Time expired.] [Applause.]]