Deputy Speaker, hon members, on 19 June 2013, South Africa commemorated the brutal Natives Land Act, Act 27 of 1913. This marked 100 years since the Act was promulgated. This piece of legislation, which aimed at regulating and severely restricting the acquisition of land by Africans, had far-reaching socioeconomic and political consequences, many of which are still being felt today.
The Act not only sought to severely circumscribe African ownership of and access to land, but its intent was also to meet the rising demand for cheap labour. It did so by targeting African sharecroppers and tenant farmers; stripping them of their independence as farmers and stock owners and changing them into farm labourers and servants.
Inspired by the Freedom Charter and the Reconstruction and Development Programme, RDP, the Polokwane 52nd National Conference of the ANC in 2007 decided that rural development and land reform should rank among the top five national priorities. It further recognised that the Natives Land Act, Act 27 of 1913 left lasting scars on rural communities. The Freedom Charter stated that:
There Shall be Houses, Security and Comfort! All people shall have the right to live where they choose, be decently housed, and to bring up their families in comfort and security; Unused housing space to be made available to the people; Rent and prices shall be lowered ... Slums shall be demolished, and new suburbs built where all have transport, roads, lighting, playing fields, crches and social centres ...
Mandiyibeke icace ukuba lo rhulumente, ekuzameni ukulungisa imeko ebekuyiyo, ukwazile ukuba iSebe lokuHlaliswa koLuntu libe nemithetho emininzi eliyipasisileyo. Xa sibalula le mithetho, siyayazi ukuba i-Housing Act, Act 107 of 1997 ikhokelwa nguMgaqo-siseko ne-Social Housing Act, Act 16 of 2008. Lo Mthetho ngulo namhlanje wenza ukuba sibone abantu besakhelwa iifleti ezininzi ukuze bakwazi ukungena bahlawule imali yerenti efikelelekayo.
Omnye uMthetho owenziweyo yi-Housing Development Agency Act, Act 23 of 2008 ekuthe kwavunyelwana ngo-Outcome 8 yiKhabhinethi, ukuba kuzanywe kufumaneke umhlaba ongangama-6 250 ehektare ukuze kwakhelwe abantu izindlu. I-Arhente yoPhuhliso lezeziNdlu ikwazile ukuba ifikelele kwezi hektare bekujoliswe kuzo yade yagqithisa. Kubekho umgaqo-nkqubo okhoyo obizwa ngokuthi Breaking the New Ground Strategy, BNG, obhekiselele kubantu abahlala kwiindawo ezikude, ezingxonderheni. Abantu baye bakhuthazwa ukuba babuye kwezi ngxondorha badityaniswe nabanye abantu baseMzantsi Afrika.
Le nto ithetha ukuba kolu tyelelo lwethu kwiindawo ngeendawo siyile komiti esekwe yiPalamente, sibonile ukuba kukho iindawo ezifana naseLimpopo, kwindawo ekuthiwa kukwaMike's Chicken, apho kukho inkqubo entle yabantu abafunelwe umhlaba. Bakhelwe izindlu kwaye bayakwazi ukuba basebenze kwalapho kuloo mhlaba. Bayakwazi ukuba baqhubeke namashishini abo nokunye bakwazi ukuba baqeshe nabanye abantu.
Ezi zinto akufunekanga ukuba sizithathe kancinci kuba le nkqubo ize notshintsho. Abantu bayakwazi ukuba bafumane iitayitile kuba kaloku ezi zindlu bazinikwayo bangamisa ngazo ematyaleni. Ziphinde kwakhona zenze ubutyebi kuba xa abantu beneetayitile bangenza ushishino ngezindlu nto leyo ebalulekileyo kurhulumente we-ANC.
Olunye utshintsho oluthe lwenzeka yile nkqubo yeehostele. Asisenazo iihostele ezifana neziyaa zakuqala. Sineendawo ngoku ezibizwa ukuba zii- community residential units apho abantu bahlala khona neentsapho zabo. Lutshintsho olo oluthe lwakhona ngale nkqubo yokubuyiselwa kwemihlaba into eyenza ukuba urhulumente akwazi ukunika abantu amathuba okuba nezindlu.
Masikhumbule ukuba kukho inkqubo ekuthiwa yi-enhance discount benefit scheme. Into eyenzekayo kule nkqubo kukuba abantu ababehlala kwiihostele ezizezikarhulumente behlawula irenti iminyaka engama-30, bayazinikwa simahla. Loo nto ithetha ukuba iitayitile bayakwazi ukuba bazifumane. Ndizama ukuthi masiyincome i-ANC ngomsebenzi wayo omhle ethe yawenza ukutshintsha iimpilo zabantu ngoba urhulumente wocalu-calulo ebengazenzi ezi zinto. Abantu babebekwa phaya kude emagqagaleni bekude nempucuko. Namhlanje sibona abantu besakhelwa izindlu behlangene. Yiyo ke loo nto le BNG kufuneka ukuba siyikhuthaze ukuba ibekhona ukuze iqhubele phambili. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Let me state categorically that in trying to redress the imbalances of the past, this government, through the Department of Human Settlements, managed to pass many pieces of legislation. We know that the Social Housing Act, Act 16 of 2008 is preceded by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act of 1996 and the Housing Act of 1997. It is because of the Social Housing Act that we see flats being built as part of affordable rental housing.
There is also the Housing Development Agency Act, Act 23 of 2008, and Cabinet agreed on Outcome 8 in terms of which 6 250 ha of municipal land had to be found and set aside for housing. The Housing Development Agency managed to secure more than the required amount of land for this purpose. There is also the Breaking New Ground Policy, relating to people living on the outskirts of the cities. People were encouraged to move from the outskirts and integrate with their fellow South Africans.
As a result of our visits as the parliamentary committee to various areas, we came to a place called Mike's Chicken in Limpopo, for instance, where land has been found for people. People have been provided with housing there and they can also work from there. They are able to open businesses and create jobs.
We must not take this programme for granted because it has brought about change. People get title deeds and they are able use their houses as collateral to get loans. Their houses are a source of wealth because when people have title deeds they can use their houses for commercial purposes, which is important to the ANC-led government.
There has also been change to the hostel system. We no longer have the old form of hostels. We now have what are called community residential units where people stay with their families. This is a change that came with the land restitution programme which has enabled government to provide people with housing opportunities.
Let us remember that there is also what is known as the Enhanced Discount Benefit Scheme. According to this scheme people who rented public hostels for 30 years, get them for free. That means they get title deeds for them. I'm trying to say, let us commend the ANC for the good work it has done to change people's lives, which the apartheid government failed to do. Black people were settled in the bundus, far from civilisation. Today we see a housing plan that promotes integrated societies. It is for this reason that we have to encourage the continued existence of the BNG.]
In 2013 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework Budget allocations covered various programmes of the Department of Human Settlements which can be outlined as follows: R27 billion was allocated to housing development, which included the Human Settlements Development grant and the Urban Settlements grant.
Le nkxaso-mali yile inikwa oomasipala abambaxa ukuba bazame ukutshintsha iziseko zophuhliso ezingundoqo ziyeke ukuba lolwaa hlobo lwakudala, ukuze abantu bakwazi ukufumana amanzi, izindlu zangesese neendlela nayo yonke into edibene neziseko zophuhliso ezingundoqo. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[These grants are allocated to metropolitan municipalities so that they can improve key infrastructure and provide people with water, build them toilets and roads, and provide them with everything related to key infrastructure.]
The National Upgrading Support programme has been established and the budget allocation for 2013-14 is R97 million. The National Upgrading Support programme structures have been established in all nine provinces in order to facilitate alignment with relevant municipalities.
Masiyincome into yokuba okwangoku into eyenzekileyo ... [Let us applaud the fact that so far ...]
... 192 253 formal housing units have been allocated to 255 628 households during the 2012 financial year, and that represents 63% of 400 000 units of the 2014 target.
Siphinde siyincome into yokuba ... [Again, let us applaud the fact that ...]
... billions of rand have been spent to purchase land through the Housing Development Agency Act, and utilising the Urban Settlement Development Grant, USDG, allocated to metros. In 2013, Parliament passed the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act, Act 16 of 2013, Spluma, administered by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to address sparse, spatial and regulatory imbalances.
This act plays a critical role in the planning of human settlements. It also provides inclusive development, and equitable and efficient spatial planning in different spheres of government to provide a framework for monitoring, co-ordination and review of the spatial planning and land use management system. It also provides a framework for policies, principles, norms and standards for spatial development planning and land use. This is one of the progressive pieces of legislation that have been passed by this Parliament to address the issues of the previous regime.
Agrivillages have a huge potential to contribute to sustainable human settlements in our communities. There are a number of them that we have come across on our oversight visits across the country. We need to encourage support for the establishment of more such villages. The Department of Economic Development plays a critical role in empowering these communities.
The land question is a very crucial issue for the development of any nation. It is therefore important to note that South Africa has given priority to the transformation of land ownership. Through collaborative efforts with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, as I have mentioned, the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs also plays a critical role in the implementation of Spluma. Therefore, working co-operatives by these departments, including the Department of Public Works, will accomplish the vision of the ANC and that of government, of bringing a better life to all.
President Jacob Zuma has endorsed the process of land claims to be reopened, therefore the ANC calls upon each and every citizen to rally behind and support the programme of rural development. The ANC supports the report. [Time expired.] [Applause.]