Chairperson and Ministers, the ACDP is encouraged that the need for more spending and better co-ordination has been acknowledged, and we welcome the Minister of Finance's statement that in addition to the funds allocated to the Department of Rural Development and Land Affairs for the comprehensive rural development strategy, a new grant has been set up to support on-site water and sanitation infrastructure as part of the rural housing programme. About 85% of the poorest South Africans live in rural areas, so it is no surprise that the President has declared rural development and land affairs one of government's five priorities. The ACDP expects serious attention to be paid to the fact that past budgets have been grossly inadequate to meet capacity requirements to achieve targets in redistributing land and for making restitution.
As the Deputy Minister has just said, in fact, by October last year the department had reported it had settled 95% of the 79 696 claims lodged since 1994. It is also reported to have said that the outstanding claims are all rural, of a complex nature and will require higher budget allocations to settle with the claimants. The restitution programme responsible for settling land claims and providing settlement support, however, shows a huge drop from R2,1 billion to R1,57 billion.
The recent government report has proposed two future land-use models for South Africa. In response to this document, the ACDP places on record that we oppose nationalisation of productive land, which will have disastrous repercussions for the South African economy. It is ludicrous that government is using the extremely high failure rate of farms taken over already to justify the seizing of remaining productive land.
While the pros and cons of the second proposal merit debate, the ACDP cautions that impulsive actions could take us further from our goal of prosperity for all. Careful consideration of the impact of such a move on the lives of South Africans is critical.
The first proposal, declaring all productive land a state asset, creates a greater concern because it threatens to unleash a steep fall in agricultural investment, directly affecting employment. Small rural communities will suffer most and rural poverty will increase, resulting in increased urban migration and further hardship. A drastic fall in food production will affect food-processing industries and agricultural supply industries, and rising food prices will further impact negatively on the living standards of all South Africans.
Job creation is a national priority, and we cannot afford to disregard the role of agriculture in our economy. The number of jobs created per unit of investment is higher in agriculture than any other sector and it supports 8,5 million people.
While the budget for land reform has drastically increased, it is far less than the R15 billion the department estimated it will need in the 2010-11 financial year to reach the target of redistributing 30% of white-owned agricultural land by 2014 - not even a quarter, I believe. The ACDP calls for an increased budget allocation to facilitate the acquisition of land for redistribution. Thank you. UMNTWANA B Z ZULU: Somlomo, mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe neSekela lakho, amalunga ahloniphekile, Umhlabathi owasala ezandleni zabantu abansundu ngesikhathi izwe lidakadikwa nguhulumeni wobandlululo waba ngu-13% kuphela. Kuyamangalisa uma kukhona abantu abafana nomhlonishwa uGroenewald uma ethi yena lokhu ukubona kwakukukhulu kakhulu uma izwe lali ngu13% out of 100 lasala kubantu abamnyama bephucwa ngenkani.
Izwe elasala nabamhlophe laba ngu 87%. Lo mhlaba ongu13% abantu bakithi babekwazi ukuziphilisa kuwo ngokulima, nokuphilisa imfuyo yabo. Wonke lomhlabathi ongu87% unezincwadi zobunikazi kulaba abamhlophe bese kuthi lomhlabathi ongu13% owasala kubantu abamnyama ungabinazo izincwadi ezingamagunya obunikazi kubantu bakithi.
Izindawo zasemakhaya ezenganyelwe ngamaKhosi zinomhlabathi ongumgogodla wokuthuthukisa lelizwe. Uma zingaxhaseka kahle noma lowo mhlabathi kuthiwe ngu13% kodwa abantu bakithi bakwazile ukuphila kuwona isikhathi eside kakhulu kwaze kwafika leso sikhathi lapha bephoqeleka ukuba bahambe bayosebenza bashiye amakhaya.
Kodwa umnumzane ubephuma ayosebenza izinyanga eziyisithupha, abuye azolima akhiqizele umndeni wakhe nezwe lakubo ukudla izinyanga eziyisithupha aphinde aphume ayofuna umsebenzi. Izizwe eziningi zalwa kakhulu zilwela umhlabathi, akukho okwakulwela ngale kwalokho. Ongangukuthi ekwehlulweni kwabantu abamnyama eNingizimu Afrika kwafika lapho khona ukuthi kababumbe imbumbe bakhe inhlangano ezobenza ukuba balwe bakhulume ngezwi elilodwa emhlabathini omncane ongu-13% wamaKhosi owawusasele kubo.
Yingakho bavumelana ngezwi elilodwa ukuthi akwakhiwe inhlangano enjengoKhongolose, eyavumelana ngezwi elilodwa ukuthi akuhlanganwe yathi mzulu, msuthu kanye nomxhosa, hlanganani. Lokho kwakukhulunywa ngendaba yezwe elalisasele emaKhosini.
Umhlaba uphethwe ngamaKhosi unabaniniwo abangenazo izincwadi eziyisiqiniseko zokuthi ngowabo. Umhlaba wamaKhosi unikeza umuntu owakhele ilungelo lokuba azakhele umuzi wakhe kuwo. Abe namasimu okulima ukuze akwazi ukuziphilisa ngawo. Abe nedlelo lezinkomo ezingumnotho nomgogodla walelizwe.
Ibhange lendoda kumuntu omnyama isibaya sezinkomo ekhaya, kuyadabukisa nje ke mhlonishwa ukuthi ezikhathini eziningi nxa kuthiwa kubhombe i-ATM kugijima onke amaveni aphikelele lapho kuyobhekwa ukuthi ngobani ababhombe leyo ATM. Bese kutholakala ukuthi uma ekhaya kufika izigebengu ebusuku zingqongqoza emnyango zithi ungabe usaphuma, ziyothatha izinkomo zonke. Akubibikho ngisho abomthetho abazosuka ngakusasa bagijime bethi masiyophenya. Kuvele kuthiwe nje zibhekele ukuthi zathathwa ngobani bese ubuye uzositshela sizobopha lowo muntu. Kodwa iqiniso ngelokuthi ibhange lomuntu omnyama isibaya sezinkomo ekhaya. [Ihlombe.]
Umhlabathi umuntu awakhele akuwona owakhe ngesingaye, kepha ungowomndeni wakhe. Ngakho akuthi ngoba iNkosi isixabene nenhloko yomndeni lowo, bese kuba yinto elula nje ukuthi iyabaxosha endaweni yayo. Lokhu esikubona kwenziwa yilaba abamhlophe lapha emapulazini, kukhishwa abantu beyohlala emgwaqeni nomndeni ngoba exabene nendoda ephethe lelo khaya.
Kodwa ngesingathi akwenzakali lokho, kepha ngokosikompilo yethu iNkosi iyamhlawulisa lowo muntu aphinde futhi ahlale nomdeni wakhe aqhubeke, anikeze iNkosi inhlonipho efaneleyo. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Prince B Z ZULU: Speaker, hon Minister, Deputy Minister and hon members, the land that remained in the hands of black people, when the apartheid government took it, was only 13%. It is surprising that there are people, like the hon Groenewald, who say that the 13% which remained in the hands of black people when the rest was taken by force, is a big piece of land.
The land that was taken by white people totalled 87%. Our people were able to survive on subsistence farming from this 13% and they could also feed their livestock. The white people who own the 87% have title deeds but our black people, who own the remaining 13%, do not have title deeds.
Rural areas that are under the administration of amakhosi have land that is essential for the economic development of this country. These areas need to be supported properly. Even though black people occupied only 13% of the land they managed to survive on it until such time that they were forced to go and work, and leave the rural areas.
The man would leave home to go and work for six months; he would come back home to cultivate the land to produce food for his family and his country for six months, and then leave to look for work again. Many nations have fought many times for the land and there was nothing else they were fighting for. When black people were defeated in South Africa, it led them to form an organisation that made them fight for this 13% of land of the amakhosi and made them talk with one voice.
That is why they took a resolution to form an organisation like the African National Congress which took a resolution that we must unite, as the amaZulu, Basotho and amaXhosa. They were talking about the issue of the land that was still with the amakhosi.
The land that is under the administration of the amakhosi has owners who do not have title deeds. The communal land owned by the amakhosi gives a person who stays in that area a right to build their own house and to own a piece of land to cultivate in order for them to survive, and to own grazing land for cattle, as they are the backbone of the country's economy.
A man's bank is the cattle at home. It is a pity, hon member, that in most instances when an automatic teller machine is bombed the police vans rush to that scene to investigate who could have bombed it. However, when thugs arrive at your house late at night, knocking on your door and telling you not to come out, while they take all your cattle away, the police do not even rush to come and investigate the following day. They just say you must investigate for yourself and inform them as to who stole your cattle, so that they can go and arrest that person. It is a known fact that a black man's bank is his cattle. [Applause.]
The land on which a person has built is not that person's property, but it is for his family. Therefore, it does not mean that if the local inkosi has a misunderstanding with the head of the family, it then becomes easy for the inkosi to expel him from the land. This is what we see happening on farms, whereby whites evict people and people go and live on the streets with their families just because a farmer had a misunderstanding with the head of the family.
In our culture this is not done. According to our culture the inkosi fines the head of the family and the head of the family continues to stay with his family on the land and continues to respect the inkosi.] Hon Minister, let me quote the hon president of Contralesa, iNkosi Patekile Holomisa, when he said:
Just as government, nationally or provincially, has no legitimate claim to ownership of the communal land, the new local council cannot be the owners of the land. The African communities and traditional leaders are the owners. To ensure continuity and stability in the communal areas, legal ownership of such areas must be transferred from the state to owners - that is, the African communities and traditional leaders. A single title deed should be issued in respect of the communal land. The legal entity in whose name the title deed should be issued is "the traditional authority".
Umhlaba osezindaweni zabantu abakhele aMakhosi ucebile kakhulu ngamahlathi emvelo. Lomhlabathi noma lezi zindawo ezivulekileyo ezihlonishwayo ngokugcina indalo njengezilwane zasendle. Kepha namuhla lo mhlabathi ubhekene nenkulu inselelo yokhula lokufika" alien plants". Njengamanje amahlathi adliwa yilolu khulangalendlela esabisayo. Kuthi laba beziqiwi banikezeke isabiwomali esivela KuMnyango Wezolimo ukuba bakwazi ukugawula lezi zihlahla. Kodwa uma sekuyiwa ezindaweni zabantu abanikezwa, abantu abaqasheke, bathole amatoho ukuze babulale lezihlahla.
Bese kuba khon enye inkinga ekhona yokuthi eminye imindeni ithatha lolu khula ibiye ngalo umuzi ngoba luyabukeka luba luhle, ludliwe yizinyoni uthole ukuthi ngeke luze luphele ngaphandle ukuba uMnyango uze ubeke umthetho ukuthi kuvinjelwa kanjani lokhu.
Kukhona izindawo okuthiwa amaxhaphozi eziya zincipha kakhulu emakhaya. Beziligugu elikhulu lezi ndawo ngoba yilapho bekumila khona utshani obuligugu nobuwumcebo obusetshenziswa ngamakhosikazi akithi, ikhwani, incema, ibhuma, imizi konke lokhu bebeluka ngakho amacansi nezicephu. Bakwazi ukuthengisa baphile. Ayikho inkosazane engaphuma iyogana ingaliphathi icansi lencema lomnumzane.
Nangu noBhishobhu uDandala uyaludinga ukuthi uma esegana undodana wakhe, afike umakoti amphathele icansi lencema, aliphose phansi, alale umfundisi kulona. [Uhleko.] okunye okulimaza amaxhaphozi akithi ukulima, abantu belima izingadi. Basuke bavule imisele uyabona lobutshani bonke bese bunyamalala. Imifula ebineziziba zishile lezi ziziba.
Uyabona uma kukhulunywa ngalesiVuvu jikelele "global warming" umuntu ukubona kahle uma usuyemakhaya ngoba besingenayo inkinga yamanzi enganga le. Kodwa uyakubona kuyakwanda kakhulu lokhu. Sengigcina Sihlalo ... (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[The land that belongs to the amakhosi is rich in natural forestry. This land or these open spaces are respected for preserving creatures such as wild animals but today this land faces a huge challenge in the form of alien plants. Currently, the forests are being destroyed by these alien plants. The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries should allocate money to the game reserves to chop down these trees. In the rural areas people are not allocated a budget to cut down these trees and this will enable them to become employed temporarily.
There is another problem whereby families use these alien plants as fences because they look beautiful, and they are spreading because they are eaten by birds. These plants will never become extinct until the department puts some mechanisms in place to prevent this.
Wetlands, which were very precious, are decreasing in the rural areas. Grasses, namely ikhwani, incema, ibhuma and imizi were used by our African women to weave big and small grass mats. They would sell these and survive. No young woman can have a wedding without a grass mat made of incema for her groom.
Here is Bishop Dandala - he needs it so that when his son gets married, the bridegroom must bring the grass mat along which is made of incema. She must throw it down and the Bishop must sleep on it. [Laughter.]
Another thing that affects these wetlands is cultivation. People who cultivate gardens open up furrows, and thereafter the grasses are eroded. Rivers that had ponds have dried up. When they talk about global warming, one sees it clearly when one goes to the rural areas because we did not have this big problem of the scarcity of water. But you can see this spreading all over. In conclusion, Chairperson ...]
... I think I must go back to the president of Contralesa, when he said:
One of the steps which should be taken is to do an audit of land - private, communal, state and public. Also to be investigated is the amount of South African land in the hands of foreign nationals. On completion of the audit, the state will have to determine the land needs of people.
[Applause.]
Mhlonishwa njengoKhongolose siyalwesekela lolu hlahlo mali olwethule namuhla. Ngiyabonga. [Hon Chairperson, as the African National Congress, we support the budget presented today. Thank you.]