House Chairperson, hon Deputy President, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members and fellow South Africans, it is indeed an honour and privilege to participate in this debate. First and foremost, I rise in support of this Appropriation Bill with its amendment, as made by the Minister of Finance.
The 2011 Census report indicates that the majority of the population of this country reside in rural areas, the majority of whom are poor and illiterate. These poor constituencies are characterised by high levels of unemployment. The reality of the matter is that women and children constitute the most affected group.
South Africa is a developmental state, and as a result the government has introduced a number of intervening instruments aimed at relieving our communities from the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. This government has produced a blueprint in the form of the National Development Plan, NDP, as a vehicle to grow the economy, stabilise society and grow employment opportunities. The ANC manifesto articulates on its interventions, such as rural enterprise development, increased investment in agriculture, improved security of tenure and support to co- operatives.
Twenty years since the advent of democracy, a lot has been achieved in reversing the negatives of the 1913 Native Land Act. The government introduced the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, CRDP, in July 2009, and since then the programme has been implemented in all the provinces.
Since the start of the CRDP in these areas, various interventions dealing with the three phases of the CRDP have been implemented, ranging from improved housing, and access to water, sanitation and energy. His Excellency the President of South Africa, in the state of the nation address, emphasised skills development. In this regard, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform will enhance the implementation of the National Rural Youth Service Corps programme, with the main objective being the recruitment and development of the youth to become agents of change in the rural areas.
After 20 years of democracy, rural women are still facing the challenge of their inability to participate in economic development. We believe that if we are to put local women from rural areas in the mainstream of economic growth, this should be done in a structured manner, and it should be well co-ordinated and managed. It should also serve as a lever to make them job creators and family sustainers. It has been proven that any investment in women amounts to a great investment in the community.
Over the past years, government has engaged with the processes and programmes aimed at creating and maintaining an equitable and sustainable land dispensation. The government is the first to acknowledge that the majority of our people are still without land. There is a need to fast- track the process so that land is equitably and sustainably appropriated to our people.
This year, it is 101 years since the notorious Native Land Act of 1913 was enacted. The Act set aside 7,3% of the total of South Africa's land to accommodate the native population. It also put certain restrictions in place as to the possibility for natives to buy and/or own land outside the reserves. Section 25(5) of the Constitution provides for the state to take reasonable legislative and other measures with the available resources to foster conditions which will enable citizens to gain access to land on an equitable basis.
We need to acknowledge the strides made by the government with regard to land restitution. The reopening of the lodgement of land claims to accommodate those who missed the opportunity to lodge land claims by the closing date of 31 December 1998, was a direct response by His Excellency President Jacob Zuma during the state of the nation address.
At the 52nd conference of the ANC, we identified land reform and rural development as priorities. In giving expression to this urgency, land reform must represent a radical and rapid break from the past, without significantly disrupting agricultural production and food security. Sustainable land reform and improved food security is very important if we are to change the situation in the rural areas for the better.
Abalimi abasafufusa badinga ukuba bathole usizo kuhulumeni ukuze bakwazi ukuthi bazimele bakwazi ukwenza amabhizinisi futhi bakwazi nokondla umphakathi walapha eNingizimu Afrika. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[The emerging farmers need assistance from government in order to become independent and to have businesses so that they can provide food for the people of South Africa.]
Despite budget constraints, we believe that adequate resources have been allocated in this Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period.
In conclusion, it is our task to reverse this terrible legacy which made black people trespassers on their own land. Big strides have been made since 1994, but there is still much more to be done. As we support this Appropriation Bill, we believe that the government will hit the ground running and take South Africa forward. We dare not fail our people. [Applause.]