Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, members and guests, the headline in one of South Africa's most widely read newspapers this weekend screamed: "It's a disgrace". The spotlight, once again, was being put on yet another ANC leader who had lost his moral compass.
The ANC government today is morally challenged. The government itself will have to own up to that. If anyone on that side of the House doesn't accept that, that would mean that they are also morally challenged.
I am raising the issue of moral conduct because the thinking that prevails in the upper echelons of the ANC is shocking millions of South Africans. We expected government to carry forward the remarkable legacy of Madiba. Clearly this is not happening.
Against the context I have sketched, it comes as yet another shock to me to read a letter from Konsortia Consultancy to businesspeople. According to Konsortia, for a so-called "platinum sponsor", writing out a cheque of R250 000 to the ANC for electioneering purposes in the Western Cape will guarantee "exclusive time with the Minister during a gala dinner". That is unacceptable to the only Congress of the People. If this is not influence- peddling, what is it?
Does this mean that the affected 3 000 cotton farmers from the Makhathini Flats need to pay a quarter of a million rand to get the attention of the Minister?
Redistribution of farms in democratic South Africa is a worthy goal. Transformation is an absolute necessity. Will the Minister, as a matter of priority, inform the House who the respective owners of the following farms in the North West are and whether they have, directly or indirectly, any links to governmental department staff: remainder of the farm Melville, 175 IP, purchased for R8,5 million; remainder of the farm Section 1, Block C 2, purchased for R18,25 million; and portions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the farm Quaggablatt?
In 1986 het Suid-Afrika ongeveer 70 000 kommersile boere gehad, wat 1,2 miljoen werkgeleenthede geskep het. In 1993 was daar 58 000 teenoor 1,1 miljoen werkgeleenthede. In 2007 het hierdie syfer drasties gedaal na ongeveer 40 000, met minder as 800 000 werkgeleenthede. Hierdie tuimeling gaan steeds voort met 50 miljoen monde wat van voedsel verskaf moet word.
Boere verlaat Suid-Afrika daagliks en die Minister se opsomming dat hierdie boere die land verlaat as gevolg van die feit dat hulle hul boerderye wil uitbrei, is 'n droom wat in 'n absolute nagmerrie gaan ontaard wanneer ons kyk na voedselsekerheid. Vyftig boere is reeds gevestig in die Kongo en gister alleen het ng 24 boere vertrek.
Cope voel dat die regering 'n billike omgewing en beleidsraamwerk moet skep. Die ho kostes van elektrisiteit en belasting, en die onsekerheid gaan daartoe lei dat ons daardie boere nooit weer sal sien nie, en dan sal jy self ook nie voedsel op die tafel h nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[In 1986 there were about 70 000 commercial farmers in South Africa who created 1,2 million job opportunities. In 1993 there were about 58 000, as opposed to 1,1 million job opportunities. In 2007 this number dropped drastically to about 40 000, with fewer than 800 000 job opportunities. This collapse continues while 50 million mouths need to be supplied with food.
Farmers are leaving South Africa on a daily basis and the Minister's summary that these farmers are leaving because they wish to expand their farms is a dream that is going to degenerate into an absolute nightmare when we consider food security. Fifty farmers have already settled in the Congo and yesterday alone another 24 departed.
Cope feels that the government should be creating a fair environment and policy framework. The high costs of electricity and taxation and the uncertainty will lead to us never seeing those farmers again, and then you won't have food on the table for yourself either.]
On Discovery Channel work on an oil rig was rated the most dangerous job in the world, followed by farming in South Africa, due to the high rate of farm murders that not only affects the deceased, but also every worker working on that farm.
Veediefstal in Suid-Afrika kos die boer en die ekonomie ongeveer R390 miljoen per jaar. 'n Groter splinter in die oog van voedselsekerheid is wel roofdiere, wat die ekonomie en die boer oor 'n miljard rand per jaar kos. Die departement van omgewingsake in die Noord-Kaap het byvoorbeeld sewe amptenare in diens, met geen begroting om roofdiere te bekamp of te bestry nie. Cope voel dat die Departement van Landbou, Bosbou en Visserye 'n senior amptenaar moet aanstel en 'n begroting beskikbaar moet maak vir die effektiewe bestryding van roofdiere soos die jakkels en rooikat.
Teen die pas waarteen ons nou aangaan, gaan daar geen kleinvee of kleinveeboere in Suid-Afrika oor wees nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Stock theft in South Africa is costing farmers and the economy around R390 million per year. Beasts of prey represent a larger mote in the eye of food security, costing the economy and farmers more than a billion rand per year. The department of environmental affairs the Northern Cape, for instance, has seven officials in its employ in without a budget for combating beasts of prey. Cope feels that the Department of Agriculture, Foresrty and Fisheries should appoint a senior official and make available a budget for the effective combating of beasts of prey such as the jackal and the caracal.
If we continue at the current rate, there will be no small livestock or small livestock farmers left in South Africa.]
Cope believes in the need to encourage small-scale farmers to become commercial in their own right. They need to form co-operatives in order to become competitive. Government also has to educate the nation's farmers about the use of mycorrhizae. These fungi reduce water consumption and decrease fertiliser use. Is this being done, hon Minister? I would be shocked if it wasn't.
Cope would also like to see more bilateral agreements being implemented. Food security needs to become a regional strategy. Chairperson, according to the hon Minister, the aim of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is to create 300 000 jobs in smallholding schemes by 2015 and 145 000 jobs in agro-processing by 2020. How attainable are these targets? What happened to the 10 000 new farmers that would have been established on 5 million hectares of land nearly three years ago?
What happened to Makhathini Cotton Gin that was purchased by the department from the liquidators, an action taken by the Land Bank? The only ones who benefited - and this really needs investigation - were the administrators. The farming project involved 1 300 hectares of irrigated cotton, providing jobs and livelihoods to some 21 000 people. At the height of operations, 3 000 tons of cotton lint were produced annually. This figure has dropped to a mere 104 tons a year, the smallest crop since 1960, recorded in the 2010-11 period.
Cotton production, especially in Makhathini, has the potential to create roughly five jobs per hectare, with a strong multiplying effect: For every one job in the primary production of cotton, 10 jobs are sustained down the stream.
It is disturbing that the hon Minister requested a cost estimate to revitalise the project almost a year ago and to date absolutely nothing has happened. The department needs workable, realistic and implementable targets. The NGP envisions 500 000 jobs to be created from agriculture. This includes 145 000 jobs in agro-processing. How will the department achieve this target? Which skills are being targeted? What life span for these jobs are we looking at?
Chairperson, in 2011 we have experienced and witnessed the power of natural disasters, the effect of which will impact on the world's ability to produce. Back home, floods have caused damage and droughts have threatened the livelihood of so many. [Time expired.] [Applause.]