Agb Voorsitter, dit is skokkend om te sien hoe geld deur die staatsinstansies vermors word. Ons kan vir ure redeneer oor hoeveel geld is vir elke departement beskikbaar en vir elke funksie wat vervul moet word, maar wat help dit alles wanneer dit in die hande van disfunksionele departemente beland wat, op 'n paar uitsonderings na, 'n epidemie van klaaglike mislukkings is?
Wat die Vissery-afdeling aan betref, moet 'n mens werklik simpatie met die Minister betuig. Hir erf sy 'n blik wurms wat niks met aas te doen het nie, en streepsakke vol onwettige perlemoen wat maar die punt van die ysberg is. Terwyl bona fide bestaansvissers ontneem is van hul permitte om perlemoen uit te haal, moet hulle in sommige gevalle nou al vir jare van die wal af staan en toekyk hoe georganiseerde stropers met bote, duikpakke en al die nodige toerusting die bron sistematies uitwis.
Permitaansoeke het oor die R6 000 gekos. Vele arm mense moes hierdie geld leen, en die geld is verbeur toe die aansoeke nie toegestaan is nie. 'n Mens kan gerus daarmee 'n plan maak. Terwyl ek dikwels oproepe van die publiek ontvang oor die lakse houding van die wetstoepassers, is ng die polisie, ng die departement in staat om enige bote in die water te sit en te beman sodat stropery stopgesit kan word. Daar is slegs vier bote en daar is nie geld vir operasionele aksie nie.
Verder is die beweerde wanbestuur binne Marine and Coastal Management, die MCM, klaarblyklik onder die mat gevee, en tydens die sitting waarby die portefeuljekomitee die geleentheid sou gehad het om die saak na die oppervlak te bring, is bespreking van hierdie aspek nie toegelaat nie.
Indien portefeuljekomitees volhou met hierdie houding, is dit geen wonder dat departementele wanbestuur aan die orde van die dag is nie.
Net een voorbeeld hiervan is die ineenstorting van die eerste perlemoenboerdery in Oos-London. Hier is R20 miljoen van die publiek se geld na sy maai. Gaan lees die Oos-Kaap se Daily Dispatch.
Wat die Bosbou-afdeling betref, is die grootste enkele bedreiging brande, wat jare se kapitaal in 'n oogwink kan vernietig. Die begroting vir brandbestryding is totaal ontoereikend. Brande kan net in afgele gebiede soos berghange effektief bestry word met die hulp van helikopters en vliegtuie, en dit is 'n baie duur transaksie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.) [Mr N D DU TOIT: Hon Chairperson, it is shocking to see how money is being wasted by state entities. We can sit for hours and discuss how much money is available for each department and for each function that has to be performed, but what good is all of that when it ends up in the hands of dysfunctional departments which, barring a few exceptions, are an epidemic of woeful failures?
As regards the Fisheries section, one must really convey one's sympathy to the Minister. Here she has inherited a can of worms that has nothing to do with bait, and bags full of contraband abalone that represent only the tip of the ice berg. While bona fide subsistence fishers have been dispossessed of their permits to take out abalone, they now have to witness from the shore, and in some cases for years already, how organised poachers are systematically wiping out this resource with boats, diving suits and all the necessary equipment.
Permit applications used to cost over R6 000. Many poor people had to borrow this money, and the money was forfeited when those applications were not approved. A plan should be made in this regard.
While I often receive calls from the public about the slack attitude of the law enforcers, neither the police not the department are able to launch and man boats in order to end the poaching. There are only four boats and there's no money for operational action. Furthermore, the alleged mismanagement within Marine and Coastal Management has apparently been swept under the carpet. During the sitting at which the portfolio committee would have had an opportunity to bring this matter to the surface, debate on this issue was not allowed.
If portfolio committees are to persist with this attitude, it will not be surprising if departmental mismanagement remains the order of the day.
Just one example of this is the collapse of the first abalone farm in East London. Here R20 million of the public's money has gone down the drain. Read about it in the Eastern Cape's Daily Dispatch.
As regards the Forestry section, fires are the single biggest threat that can destroy years of capital in the blink of an eye. The budget for fire- fighting is totally inadequate. In remote areas such as mountain slopes fire-fighting can only be done with the assistance of helicopters and airplanes, and that is a very costly transaction.]
Concerning the agriculture division, government must have a clear policy framework based on the free-market system to regulate and enhance investment in the sector.
Skandalige prysverhogings, soos Eskom se 25%, verryk, onder meer, die ANC- maatskappy Hitachi Power Africa. Aangesien die Minister van landbouers en Suid-Afrikaanse besighede verwag om brood teen kosprys te verskaf, verneem ek graag of die ANC - wat in die kragverskaffingsbesigheid is - nou te kenne wil gee dat boere, besighede en huishoudings krag ook teen kosprys kan kry.
Hierdie buitensporige prysverhogings sal voedselproduksie onmoontlik maak. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Scandalous price increases, such as Eskom's 25%, are enriching, inter alia, the ANC company Hitachi Power Africa. As the Minister expects farmers and South African businesses to provide bread at cost price, I would like to know if the ANC - which is in the power supply business - now wants to acknowledge that farmers, businesses and households can also receive electricity at cost price.
These excessive price increases will make food production impossible.]
The impact of climate change and drought on production and food security should be recognised.
The availability of water of good quality is becoming more important for maintaining production. South Africa is often affected by severe droughts. The government will have to focus on strategies to mitigate the adverse impact of natural disasters. Proper management of natural disasters is critical for the long-term sustainability of the sector. The promulgation of a disaster risk-management strategy is urgently required.
Ongetwyfeld egter is dat die grootste knelpunte die voortgesette versekering van voedselverskaffing aan die nasie, en die grondhervormingsproses, is.
Word die status quo min of meer behou en sinvolle grondhervorming vind plaas, is die land net-net verseker van voedselsekuriteit, hoofsaaklik as gevolg van die bekwaamhede en toewyding van kommersile boere, wit en swart.
Boerdery is uiters riskant, met 'n netto opbrengs van so laag as plus-minus 2% tot 5% gemiddeld op kapitaal aangewend. Enige grondhervorming wat gepaard gaan met 'n verswakking in hierdie toestand - met ander woorde, voorgesette kosteverhoging, swak pryse en enige daling in produktiwiteit - sal landbou in Suid-Afrika onlonend maak, die bedryf gaandeweg uitwis en voedselinvoere noodsaak. Dit sal die land se buitelandse handelsbalans ernstig benadeel.
In die lig hiervan gaan dit die verstand te bowe hoe die regerende party dink dat, deur die grootte van plase te beperk en dus landbouers in effek te verbied om buurplase te koop, winsgewindheid sal verhoog en nie sal daal nie.
Laat ek vandag aan die Huis 'n elementre werklikheid voorhou, wat geensins gesien moet word as ' n refleksie op die insig van agb lede van hierdie Huis wat weet wat in die landbousektor aangaan nie: Al kry iemand 'n stuk grond verniet, maak die koste van ontwikkeling en jaarlikse produksie die landbousektor nog steeds een van die grootste besigheidsuitdagings. Moenie dink kitsopleiding of 'n graad in landbou gaan boerdery 'n suksesverhaal maak nie. Die mielie mag dalk groei en selfs geoes word, maar dis nie te s jy gaan geld h om dit volgende jaar te herhaal nie. Hier agter my sit baie mense wat dit kan beaam.
Menige boere het al agter gekom dat sukses afhang van hoe diep jou sakke is om vir jou foute te betaal sonder om onder te gaan. Die belastingbetalers kan nie bekostig om te betaal vir eksperimente in grondhervorming en ou boerdery-modelle wat reeds nie geslaag het nie.
Dit is al ges, maar ek herhaal dit maar: Dit is algemene kennis dat 90% van die grondhervormingsprojekte gefaal het, teen enorme koste vir die staat en die samelewing. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[The biggest bottle-necks, however, are without a doubt the continued secure provision of food to the nation and the land reform process.
If the status quo is more or less maintained and meaningful land reform takes place, the country will only just be assured of food security, mainly as a result of the expertise and dedication of commercial farmers, black and white.
Farming is extremely risky, with a net return of as little as 2% to 5% on average on capital employed. Any land reform that takes place along with a worsening of this situation - in other words continued cost escalation, poor prices and any drop in productivity - will render agriculture in South Africa unprofitable, gradually wipe out the industry and necessitate food imports. This will seriously harm the country's balance of trade.
In the light of this it is beyond comprehension how the ruling party can think that, by way of limiting the size of farms and therefore in effect prohibiting farmers from buying neighbouring farms, profitability will increase and will not drop.
Let me present the House with an elementary truth today, which should in no way be seen as a reflection on the insight of hon members of this House who know what is going on in the agricultural sector. Even if someone receives a patch of land for free, the costs of development and yearly production in the agricultural sector still remains one of the biggest business challenges. The maize may grow and may even be harvested, but that doesn't mean to say that you will have money to repeat it the following year. Behind me are many people who can attest to this.
Many farmers have already realised that success depends on how deep your pockets are in order to pay for your mistakes without going under. The tax payers cannot afford to pay for experiments in land reform and old farming models which already haven't succeeded.
It has already been stated, but I want to repeat it: It is general knowledge that 90% of land reform projects have failed, at enormous cost to the state and society.]
The government, or the ruling party for that matter, should stop creating the idea that millions of people in shacks are now going to be transformed into peasant farmers and that these people will be able to fend for themselves and have cash to spare. Are these subsistence plots of land going to be measured in square metres, acres or hectares?
Hou op om politieke speletjies te speel en dreigemente te maak aan die landbougemeenskap om in hul spoor te trap, of anders. S reguit hoeveel mense in die stedelike sentra nou 'n stukkie grond gaan kry: Eenhonderd- duisend? Vyfhonderd-duisend? 'n Miljoen? Vyf miljoen? Hoe groot moet die stukkie grond wees? Vyfhonderd vierkante meter? Een akker? Een hektaar? Tien hektaar?
Waar gaan hierdie hervestiging en transformasie plaasvind? Aangrensend aan stede en dorpe of daar doer in die boendoes? Of, is dit die plan om plaasgrond op te sny en te verdeel tussen eienaar en werkers? Sover het die regerende party nog geen realistiese model of plan aangebied wat nugterdenkende mense, ekonome en landboukenners kan ontleed en beoordeel nie. Dit is lugkastele wat nie die werklikheid van 'n mark- en kapitaalgedrewe wreld in ag neem nie.
Met al die mislukkings van die verlede is dit moeilik om te sien hoe 'n staatsdepartement soos Landbou, Bosbou en Vissery enige van hierdie drome werklikheid gaan maak en dit boonop nog administreer en beheer.
Mao het in ongeveer 1956 The Great Leap Forward gepropageer en onder sy leiding ingestel. Na drie jaar het miljoene mense by die graanopslagplekke van honger gesterf, en die uiteinde was "a great leap backwards", soos dit nou bekend staan.
Mao se gesig was nog steeds op plakate en vlae te sien, maar sy politieke loopbaan was oor en hy is vervang.
Daar is genoem dat u oor die koringprys moet gesels. Ek moet vir u aandui dat ons 'n gesegde hier in die Wes-Kaap het wat lui: As dit nie Paasnaweek ren nie, ren dit die naweek daarna. Ek s vir u: Die ren het begin val; die mense wil ploeg en plant. As daardie koring nie teen die 15de in is nie, is daar te min warm dae vir behoorlike ontkieming en goeie oeste. Dan gaan u nie goedkoop of duur brood kry nie; u gaan geen brood kry nie. Baie dankie. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Quit playing political games and threatening the agricultural community to keep their noses clean, or else. State openly how many people in the urban areas will be receiving a patch of land: A hundred thousand? Five hundred thousand? A million? Five million? How much should the piece of land measure: Five hundred square meters? An acre? A hectare? Ten hectares?
Where will this relocation and transformation take place? Adjacent to cities and towns or out there in the bush? Or is it the plan to cut up farm land and divide it between owner and labourers? So far the ruling party has not offered a realistic model or plan which level-headed people, economists and agricultural specialists can analyse and evaluate. It's all pie in the sky which does not take the realities of a market- and capital-driven world into consideration.
With all the past failures it is hard to see how a state department such as Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries can concretise any of these dreams and administer and manage them. In about 1956 Mao propagated and established The Great Leap Forward, under his leadership. After three years millions of people had died of hunger at the grain sheds, and the result was "a great leap backwards", as it is now known.
Mao's face was still to be seen on posters and flags, but his political career was over and he was replaced.
It has been said that you should discuss the price of wheat. I must point out to you that here in the Western Cape we have a saying that goes: If it doesn't rain on the Easter weekend, it will rain on the one after it. I am telling you that the rain has started to fall and the people want to plough and plant. If that wheat is not in by the 15th, there will be too few warm days for proper germination and good harvests. Then you will not get cheap or expensive bread; you will get no bread. Thank you. [Applause.]]