Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister and hon members, as the pace of land reform is very slow and the willing-buyer, willing-seller principle has not proved to be the most efficient mechanism to address the land question, the challenge the land claimants are facing out there is that the system is engulfed in disputes among the current beneficiaries and those who claim they were left out of the process. [Interjections.] Some of the traditional authorities at the time of the lodging of the claims have found that individuals submitted their claims as families and this has led to unnecessary confusion amongst those involved.
The programme of land restitution and redistribution needs to be carefully followed. The commission should manage these processes because one could find that traditional communities are forcibly removed and then other communities from different traditional communities are settled there. This aspect alone has led to unnecessary conflicts.
With regard to the department's core function of building vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities, with food security for all, yes, there are positive developments.
However, more focus should be put on reviving farms that were bought for trusts and co-operatives but which, in the vast majority of cases, are now unproductive. Former farm workers, who were employed on those farms, are jobless as we speak. Other members of those trusts and co-operatives simply left the farms and went to look for job opportunities elsewhere, leaving the farming equipment and properties vulnerable to thieves. Reviving those farms will create jobs for our people and contribute directly to decreasing the number of unemployed people in our country, as well as providing a direct form of subsistence to those involved.
The current budget allocation, for the 2012-13 financial year, appears to be very promising in that it will attempt to address in some way the restitution and land reform programmes.
Another challenge faced by the department is the monitoring of offices that deal with land claims. Oversight is necessary and must be implemented if we are to have an efficient and well-run department.
The high staff turnover in the land claims offices leads to delays, as files are transferred from one person to another. This means that eventually all pertinent information regarding claims is lost or misfiled. The high staff turnover also leads to claimants having to resubmit whatever documents they were requested to submit in the first instance, because the original documents have now been lost or misplaced. This further contributes to the slow pace of land redistribution.
I think a need will arise and people will start requesting that their claims be looked at again because of the current state of chaos in our land claims offices. The IFP therefore urges the department to investigate this maladministration and find a solution so that these problems that cause such delays can be solved.
With that said, the IFP would like to acknowledge and commend the official handing over of seven farms to 70 beneficiaries of land reform by the Minister in Lady Grey, situated in the Joe Gqabi District Municipality in the Eastern Cape, 20 April 2012. [Applause.]
We support the idea that one of the farms will be used as a training centre for breeding cattle and sheep, as this will contribute greatly to promoting agriculture in our country. We hope to see more of this happening in other districts as well.
Ngifisa ukusho ukuthi okuningi umuntu akakuthokozele ngoba umhlonishwa uNgqongqoshe ukubekile, nami-ke bengingeke ngingakusho ebengikade ngikuhlelile ngoba kufanele ukuthi ngiveze uvo lwethu njengeqembu. Lokho umhlonishwa akubekayo sicela ukuthi akulandele ngokugcizelela ukuqinisekisa ukuthi kuyenzeka. [Ubuwelelele.] Kukhona ukhomishana okhona ozokwenza umsebenzi wokuqinisekisa ukuthi zonke izinhlelo ziyalandelwa, nokuthi nabantu abafaka izicelo bayasizakala ngezikhathi ezifanele. Nakukho konke okunye okwenziwe nguMnyango umuntu akakuthokozele. Siyabonga. Sisekela iSabiwomali. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[I would like to say that I am pleased about most of what the hon Minister has said, but I would not stop saying what I had prepared because we need to state our views as a party. We request that the hon Minister ensures that what he said takes place in practice. [Interjections.] There is a commissioner who is responsible for ensuring that all the programmes are followed up on, and that people who are applying are assisted on time. I also appreciate everything else that the department has done. Thank you. We support the Budget Vote. [Applause.]]