Hon Chairperson ... ndiyabulela. [I thank you.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, Deputy Ministers present here, hon members, we were very happy to hear the announcement by the hon President Zuma in the 2013 state of the nation address that government will reopen the lodgement of land claims, especially the accommodation of those who were dispossessed of their land prior to 1913. As expected, this raised our people's expectations. It is therefore pleasing to hear the Minister telling us that the government has already approved the processes leading to that.
However, after scrutinising government's track record in processing land claims, we are left wondering whether it has the capacity to deal with new land claims, considering that it is still struggling to address the current backlog of outstanding land claims. The department has inadequate post-transfer farmer support programmes. Nowhere is this more evident than in the low number of land reform beneficiaries who are actively farming. In the majority of cases where there is some agricultural activity many of the beneficiaries use only a portion of their land. In addition, an increasing number of farms have become white elephants in the post-transfer period. One such example is a farm in KwaZulu-Natal that used to produce 4 000 tons of bananas, which has now become a white elephant. That is not acceptable.
We have been receiving complaints from members of the public about the land reform programme. It seems there is a growing perception out there that the majority of land reform beneficiaries are males. We call on the department to look into this matter and ensure that its land reform programme is in line with gender equity policies. We hope that, once completed, the research report on the reopening of land claims will, among others, address these problems directly.
Let me take this opportunity to commend the department for the good job that it has done thus far. Well done, Mdu and your team. [Applause.] Faku, hon Trollip, I have said all that I wanted to say in our last meeting, that we are really going to miss your valuable contribution in the committee so much.
Ubambe laa nto ke, Faku, bendiyithetha yokuba ungandiphazamisi kakhulu apho uya khona. Ndiyabulela. [Laughter.] [Hold on to what I have said, Faku, that you must not disturb me much where you are going. Thank you.]
The UDM supports this Budget Vote. Thank you. [Applause.]