Chairperson, challenges are not crises. If people are working, there will obviously be challenges, such as farmworkers and farm dwellers still facing the harshest conditions of poverty and lack of basic services.
Some challenges are: land claims involving forestry, mining and conservation; disputes about property values which end up in litigation; high land prices; late payment of farmers, which results in litigation and the payment of extra money, such as interest; underfunding of land restitution programmes, which delays the finalisation of land restitution; an incomplete immovable asset register; sittings of audit committees being in line with the prescription of section 77(b) of the PFMA; delays in the collection of money held in trust on behalf of the department, as required by Treasury regulations; and, lastly, lack of financial controls to avoid wasteful and unauthorised expenditure.
As I have said, if you are working, there will always be challenges. They are an indication that you have to pull up your socks and fill up the gaps that are there. All South Africans have to work together to foster sustainable development in rural areas. All sectors, such as nongovernmental organisations, NGOs, traditional leaders and the community, have an important role to play in promoting and bringing about agrarian transformation.
The department has made enormous progress in ensuring sustainable rural development and agrarian transformation, despite the challenges they have experienced. By working together, we can ensure that South Africa really belongs to all who live in it.
Chairperson, I invite the following hon members, Mrs C Dudley, Mr K J Dikobo and Mr P J Groenewald to attend the committee meetings in order for them to be well informed about the rural development programme.
The ANC supports Budget Vote 33 of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. I thank you. [Applause.]