Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members, and ladies and gentlemen, ...
... dit is vir my aangenaam om vandag vir die eerste keer aan die debat van die Departement van Landelike Ontwikkeling en Grondhervorming se begroting deel te neem.
Die departement het in die vorige boekjaar vir die eerste nege maande slegs 60,2% van die verwagte 75% van die begroting bestee. Kapasiteit was dus 'n groot problem; of die department hierop sal verbeter, sal ons moet sien.
'n Groot problem onder die administrasie-afdeling was die groot aantal poste wat nie gevul was nie. Verder was daar ook 'n groot vertraging in die oorplasing van fondse na provinsies en munisipaliteite.
Onder die landelike ontwikkeling-afdeling is daar 'n geweldige probleem met die uitrol van die landelike onwikkelingsstrategie. Die besteding deur die departement se Landelike Ontwikkelingsprogram was vir die eerste nege maande slegs 43,5%. Dit is duidelik dat die departement 'n probleem gehad het om die Minister se strategie uit te rol. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[... today it is a pleasure for me, for the first time, to take part in the debate on the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform's budget.
In the last financial year the department spent only 60,2% of the expected 75% of the budget during the first nine months. Capacity was thus a major problem; whether the department is going to improve on this we will have to wait and see.
A major problem in the administrative section was the large number of posts that had not been filled. Furthermore, there was a huge delay in the transfer of funds to provinces and municipalities.
In the rural development section there is an enormous problem with the roll- out of the rural development strategy. Spending by the department's Rural Development Programme was only 43,5% for the first nine months. It is clear that the department had a problem in rolling out the Minister's strategy.]
The responsibility of the Rural Development Programme is to initiate, facilitate, co-ordinate and catalyse the implementation of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme so that it leads to sustainable land development.
Dit is egter kommerwekkend om landswyd te kyk na hoe min van hierdie projekte volhoubaar is sodra die befondsing van die department opgedroog het. Dit dien dus slegs as werkskeppingsprojekte solank die befondsing van die departement nog beskikbaar is.
Ek kan vele sulke projekte opnoem wat gevou het nadat die befondsing van die departement opgedroog het. Ek kan die waterkwekeryprojek in Beaufort- Wes as 'n voorbeeld hiervan noem. Die departement s hy het die afgelope jaar 3 258 groentetuine daargestel. Ek wonder hoeveel van daardie groentetuine nog bestaan of vir hoe lank hulle nog gaan bestaan. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[It is rather disturbing to see countrywide how few of these projects are sustainable as soon as the funding from the department dries up. They thus serve only as job creation projects for as long as the funding of the department is still available.
I can name many such projects that folded after the funding from the department dried up. I can name the hydroponics project in Beaufort West as one such an example. The department also says it has established 3 258 vegetable gardens in the past year. I wonder how many of these vegetable gardens still exist or for how long they are still going to exist.]
The department's National Rural Youth Service Corps, Narysec, programme - which is a youth empowerment programme - is geared to skills development in all rural wards. Skills development will include discipline, patriotism, life skills, rights awareness, and specific skills areas that will empower the youth of rural areas.
Eerstens wonder ek of dit nie maar net nog 'n program is om politiek mee te speel nie. Dit is feitlik net ANC-lede wat by hierdie program betrek word. [Tussenwerpsels.] Verder word die jeug gestuur vir opleiding, en ontvang hulle 'n toelae daarvoor. Die probleem is egter dat die jeug na die opleiding nie in gemeenskapsopheffingsprogramme betrek word nie. Hulle gaan teken net elke maand vir die toelae.
Die departement se restitusieprogram het ook slegs 35,6% van sy begroting in die eerste nege maande van die vorige boekjaar bestee. Tans is daar nog 8 770 eise by die departement wat onafgehandel is. Wat die waarde of koste vir die afhandeling van daardie eise vir die departement sal wees, is nog onbekend, want die vraag was nie beantwoord nie. Die departement het ook nog nie verslae na vore gebring op 'n vraag oor die indeling van daardie eise onder die nege provinsies nie, so ons weet nie waar die eise is nie. Die departement hoop om 133 van die eise binne hierdie boekjaar af te handel. Dit wil s, teen 133 per jaar, gaan dit jare neem om di storie af te handel. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Firstly, I wonder whether it is not simply another programme for politicking. It is virtually only ANC members who are involved in this programme. [Interjections.] Furthermore, the youth are sent for training, and receive a grant for it. The problem, however, is that after the youth have been sent for training, they are not involved in community upliftment programmes. They only go and sign every month for the grants.
The department's restitution programme spent only 35,6% of its budget in the first nine months of the previous financial year. Currently there are 8 770 claims that have not been finalised by the department. What the costs for addressing these claims will be for the department is not known, because the question was not answered. The department has also not submitted reports in reply to a question concerning the distribution of these claims amongst the nine provinces; so we do not know where the claims are. The department hopes to finalise 133 of these claims during this financial year. This means that, at 133 per year, it is going to take years before this issue is put to rest.]
In the programme for Land Reform, the budget has to cover the land recapitalisation and development of 525 distressed farms and land acquisition of 1 million ha for redistribution over the medium term.
Die probleem is egter dat hierdie sukkelende plase nie almal ingelig is oor hierdie herkapitaliseringsprogram nie. Verder is die groot probleem by die meeste van hierdie plase wat met die proses van die Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development, LRAD, gegee is, dat hulle uit groot groepe begunstigdes bestaan.
Daar is ook reeds gevalle waar van die begunstigdes afgesterf het, terwyl di wat oorbly nie in staat is om daardie begunstigdes se families uit te betaal nie. Die plaas Bakhoven is 'n voorbeeld hiervan. Bakhoven was een van die eerste LRAD-projekte, met 64 begunstigdes, waarvan 18 al reeds afgesterf het.
'n Paar van die begunstigdes maak op die oomblik asof die plaas aan hulle behoort; die res word nie daar toegelaat nie, en daar was nog nooit finansile state beskikbaar nie. Onder die nuwe program waar die staat ... [Tyd verstreke.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[However, the problem is that not all of these struggling farms were informed about this recapitalisation programme. Furthermore, the major problem concerning these farms that were handed over through the process of Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development, LRAD, is that they comprise large groups of beneficiaries.
There are also already cases of beneficiaries that have died, while those who are left behind are not able to pay out the families of those beneficiaries. The farm Bakhoven is a case in point. Bakhoven was one of the first LRAD projects, with 64 beneficiaries, of whom 18 have already died.
Currently, a few of the beneficiaries are acting as though the farm belongs to them. The rest are not allowed there on the farm and financial statements have never been available. Under the new programme where the state ... [Time expired.]]