Chairperson, hon Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs, hon members, people must know that land and agriculture are very important for our lives and are inseparable.
The Budget Vote of the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs is geared to improving the living standards of individuals through the support it proposes to give for instance, the amendment of section 10 of the Deeds Registries Act of 1937 will empower the board to make regulations which, when implemented, will lead to the recovery of arrears owed by people.
It is also geared towards safeguarding, empowering and protecting community members at all levels and to ensuring that they are treated with fairness and justice. Some people were hard hit by their forced removal from their areas of residence, but the Ministry for Agriculture and Land Affairs is in the process of correcting these errors of the past by giving land back to the people who were dispossessed. However, people should know that all services catering for their needs in the community have to be sustained, maintained and supported by all consumers concerned.
A number of sections of the Land Affairs General Amendment Act are aimed at achieving fairness and justice for all.
Sihlalo ohloniphekileyo nomKhandlu wonke, siyethemba ukuthi umbhidlango neqhaza elibanjwa nguNgqongqoshe wezemiHlaba nezoLimo ekubhekeleni inhlalakahle kubo bonke abantu abakhele leli zwe, uzosiza kakhulu. Siyazi sonke ukuthi umhlaba, noma ngabe owokwakha noma owokulima, ubaluleke kakhulu ezimpilweni zethu. Abantu bazoluthokozela kakhulu uhlelo lokubasiza babuyele ezindaweni zabo. Labo abaziphilisa ngokulima, uHulumeni kudingeka abaxhase ngezidingo zokusebenza.
Siyazi ukuthi abantu abaningi baswele imisebenzi. Abaningi baphila ngenhlabathi, ikakhulu emakhaya. UmNyango wezoLimo nezemiHlaba usinika ithemba uma uthi uzobhekela futhi ubambisane nezinhlangano zabalimi noma ngabe bakuliphi izinga.
Esifundeni engiphuma kuso, KwaZulu-Natali, abantu bakhona ikakhulukazi abasemakhaya. Bawukhonzile umhlabathi. Indawo yakhona yinhle. Ikhipha lokho okutshalile, ngaphandle uma kube neshwa likazamcolo nokunye okwenzekayo ukukhinyabeza izitshalo noma isivuno.
Siyacela impela kumhlonishwa wezoLimo ukuba alekelele ngokuthuthukisa bonke laba abadinga usizo. Siyacela futhi emNyangweni wezoLimo ukuba abeluleki kwezolimo babhidlange bafundise abantu ukudweba imithethosisekelo yezinhlangano zabo nendlela abazoqhuba ngayo izinhlangano zabo, phecelezi, ibusiness plans.
Kusuka kube kubi kakhulu emphakathini ukuzwa ukuthi kanti naleyo mali esuke ikhishelwe ukubasiza ibuyela emuva ingasize muntu. Ngithi kumhlonishwa oyiPhini likaNgqongoshe walo mnyango nakuNgqongqoshe womnyango mabaphuthume ngoba kubi lapha phandle. Ikati lilele eziko. (Translation of Zulu paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson and honourable House, we hope that the campaign and the role played by the hon the Minister for Agriculture and of Land Affairs in ensuring the well-being of all citizens of this country, is important. We all know that land, whether it is for cultivating or building purposes, is very important in our lives. People will be pleased with land redistribution. The Government should ensure that those who are engaged in subsistence farming are assisted with tools.
We know that many people are unemployed, which means that most of our people, especially the rural people, are depending on subsistence farming. Words of hope have been given to us by the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs which has promised to provide and work co-operatively with all kinds of farmers, irrespective of their status.
In the province of KwaZulu-Natal, where I come from, many people are living in the rural areas. They are people of the soil. Their land is fertile. It produces what one has sown, except if there was heavy rain or anything that could affect the harvest.
We appeal to the hon the Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs to assist those who are in dire need. We also appeal to the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs to encourage agricultural advisers to teach people how to draw up constitutions of their organisations as well as their business plans.
It is bad, especially for our communities, to learn that the money that was allocated for their needs has not been used. I appeal to the hon the Minister and her Deputy to speed up the process. Things are getting worse. People are living in abject poverty.] The department and committees serving in this portfolio expressed their concern about the recent floods by visiting the disaster areas. Flood victims received assistance from the department and other donors around the country, which made a tremendous contribution to their plight. The IFP views this aid as promoting the fight against poverty. [Applause.]