The use of technology is unlimited and can be used by anybody, even in rural areas. If the poor in these areas can be empowered with technologies, there would be a rise in productivity, based on their local resources, enterprise and innovation.
The aim of the Budget is also to break generational poverty in rural areas. Attending to youth empowerment will break this circle, like funding to enable 5 000 recruits into the National Rural Youth Service Corps. The intention is that graduates of the Youth Corps will work in their communities to provide services in local socio-economic development.
The R19 billion that will be spent on rural development and agriculture in the provinces will also include youth programmes. According to the South African Institute of Race Relations, unemployment among the young people of 15 to 24 years old is 51%, which is more than the national unemployment rate of South Africa.
The current problem facing rural development is land restitution and reform. During the hearings with the department it was mentioned that for this financial year the Budget for restitution claims will only cover backlogs of 360 out of 800. It was mentioned by other speakers that there are still outstanding court cases. As we can see, the land is going to get expensive and the budget is still not going to cover everything.
As long as we are stuck in the notion of "willing buyer, willing seller", we are going to stand here, spend our budget and beg the National Treasury to increase the budget on land claims. That is because the values are purposely overexaggerated and inflated by the people who own the land, when they actually know that it is not their land. [Applause.] You should be giving that land away. We want service delivery. [Interjections.] We want to eliminate poverty here in South Africa. Stop selling land to foreigners because we want to eliminate poverty. [Interjections.]
The Freedom Charter states that the land shall belong to those who work it, and that "the state shall help the peasants with implements, seeds, tractors and dams to save the soil and to assist the tillers". The Land Reform Programme has good objectives, but a clear plan on how the budget will be spent will be needed. People in these areas want self-respect and independence, support of infant industries and small businesses which, surveys have shown, fail within five or less years. The sector, including the agrarian one, adds value to the domestic market through job creation and skills development.
Major improvements have been registered at the turn of the second decade of freedom in terms of the economy's rate of labour absorption and generation of self-employment, but we have not matched the needs of society. At the same time, while the achievement of macroeconomic balances has released huge resources for social and economic expenditure by government, this has not translated into rates and quality of investment needed to deal with the legacy of apartheid, which we know better.
South Africa commands huge health-care resources as compared with many middle-income countries yet the bulk of these resources are in the private sector which serves a minority of the population, thereby undermining the country's ability to produce quality care and improve health care outcomes. [Interjections.] The ANC is determined to end the huge inequalities that exist in the public and private sectors by making sure that these sectors work together. [Interjections.]
In conclusion, South Africans are aware that the majority of the people still depend on government for social assistance and social economic development. It is therefore important for all citizens of South Africa to identify with beneficiaries of government programmes so that they know what their taxes are paying for.
It is also very important for those who own a lot of land and tractors that are just standing there, to open their hearts to those poor people who are working on their land and give them instruments to till their land, so that there should be a better life for all in South Africa. [Interjections.] Please open your hearts! Open your hearts! Deep down in your hearts you know that what you are doing is wrong. Deep down in your hearts you know that this Appropriation is right. This Appropriation is for equity, but because you are hurt, you don't want any change. [Interjections.] You will keep on saying that you don't support the Appropriation. The ANC supports this Bill. I thank you. [Applause.]