Chair, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, my friendly colleague from Gauteng and members, it is with a great sense of urgency that I am standing here today. Issues of land reform and rural development are very serious matters as they hold the potential to fundamentally change the future of this country. At the same time, I am very excited about the possibilities of land reform and rural development and what they hold for our country.
It is very important to know and reflect on the history of our country. Grave injustices were committed in the past, and we need to keep that in mind when we plan for the future. Sixteen years have come and gone since our first democratically elected government took charge of South Africa. We have experienced 16 years of land reform which has left South Africans disillusioned.
This is not your fault, Minister; perhaps it is the fault of your predecessors. But now you have to solve this problem. Rural restitution of land is not happening. Settling restitution with cash payments is defeating the very purpose of its inception in the first place. Redistribution has ground to a halt; tenure reform is not happening. This is creating the perception that we have become stuck in the past. We have to move to the future now.
People have been quick to blame the willing-buyer, willing-seller approach as the root cause of land reform failure. Commercial farmers are accused of inflating land prices. Farmers are accused of blackmailing land reform. But commercial farmers in the Western Cape are no longer only white. A blanket accusation against commercial farmers is no longer valid.
Solving this problem does not lie in a three-tier property ownership system. Such a system is something of vast complexity that poses the risk of disinvestment in agriculture and, ultimately, national food security.
Challenges posed by land reform and rural development are huge. When confronted with challenges of this magnitude, it is possible and only human to overlook the simple and obvious solutions right in front of our eyes. Land reform in South Africa does not need more legislation. After 16 years, we do not need yet another land analysis or more research reports that will go into great length about inequalities that permeate land ownership in South Africa. We do not need to resort to repossession of land or new repossession legislation. We do not need more levels of bureaucracy in an attempt to solve the problem.
The answer is right here. Together with commercial agriculture, we can drive land reform in South Africa. As a matter of fact, commercial agriculture wants to assist us in driving land reform in South Africa - if only government could give them the opportunity to do so. Mr Nkwinti, you would be surprised to what extent South Africans of colonial lineage are sensitive to our country's history. You might also be pleasantly surprised with the commitment that these very same people have to the future of South Africa. All South Africans realise the importance of land reform.
Dit is belangrik dat ons dit so gou moontlik en so suksesvol moontlik begin doen. [It is important that we start doing it as soon as possible and as effectively as possible.]
If we can allow commercial agriculture to assist us, Minister Nkwinti will benefit from the positive results. The worst thing that we can do regarding land reform in South Africa is to continue postponing it.
I will support any effort to increase the percentage of the national Budget that is allocated towards rural development and land reform. The task is too important for the amount being allocated.
Minister, u weet dat ek u ten volle steun en u sal help dat ons landelike ontwikkeling in die Wes-Kaap van die grond af kry. [Minister, you know that you have my full support, and I will assist you to get rural development off the ground in the Western Cape.]
I want to urge the Minister not to restrict new farmers to small plots. Let's rather plan to allow new farmers to progress from being subsistence farmers to being smallholder farmers and then to being commercial farmers, as soon as possible.
Kom ons kyk hoe vinnig ons hulle deur die proses kan kry, sodat hulle groot kommersile boere kan word. [Let's see how quickly we can get them through the process in order for them to become large commercial farmers.]
The agricultural world is moving towards an ever-decreasing number of farmers on increasingly larger farms. We cannot ignore these realities. Larger commercial farms are producing food in an efficient manner while creating valuable job opportunities. Commercial agriculture links with the rest of the economy. A farm worker on a commercial farm can progress with a career path in marketing, finance or much more. Op 'n groot plaas dra 'n plaaswerker nie meer net 'n werkpak en rubbersteuwels nie. Daar het ons plaaswerkers in seniorbestuur, in middelbestuur en in die bemarking in Europa, of waar dit ook al mag wees. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[On large farms farm workers do not necessarily just wear overalls and rubber boots anymore. On these farms we have farm workers in senior management, and middle management, as well as in marketing in Europe, or wherever it may be.]
I have committed the Western Cape to a 60% land reform success rate within the next five years. We will achieve that through public-private partnerships with various commodity organisations. We are in an advanced phase of establishing 1 000 hectares of deciduous fruit trees for new farmers. The project is being funded on a rand-for-rand basis by my department and the relevant commodity organisation. In this case it is Hortgro. In a similar manner, we are working with dairy, grain, vegetables, wine and livestock industries in establishing new farmers on a sustainable basis.
I handed a community farm over to its rightful owners last night in the Southern Cape. It is the Jakkalskraal farm, which belongs to the Griqua people. They have built up their own successful farm over the past few years, with the assistance of the Western Cape department of agriculture in Casidra. They make a profit and plough this profit back into the community.
Daar is een ding van daardie gemeenskap, hulle werk saam en hulle vat hande. Hulle trek nie dwars nie. Ons het 'n groot suksesverhaal daar. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[There is one thing about that community, and that is that they work together and join hands. They are not unreasonable. We have a major success story there.]
The Western Cape has shown that equity share schemes can work as a model for land reform. This approach allows for proven managerial skills to remain in a business. This helps to ensure future success. At the same time, vital food security is retained. All this happens while also creating wealth for beneficiaries. This model can be successful in the rest of South Africa as well. I know that commercial farmers will give their full support. It is up to the government to show that it is serious about land reform and its successful conclusion.
Minister Nkwinti, use the goodwill of the people who know how to farm to help create a country where everybody has access to land. I thank you. [Applause.]