Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members, this is my first visit to the National Council of Provinces. I am very glad to be here and I found the debates very informative.
One of the things that runs through this debate, the a golden thread, right from the very first debate on Minister Shiceka's Budget Vote, is the fact that the natural resources of our country could be used for tourism and agricultural development, and also fund those governance organisations which are suffering at present. In this regard I would like to refer to South Africa's generally poor agricultural resources. We have only 5 million hectares of high potential soil in South Africa. In terms of rural development, only 30% of this is in the former homelands, and it is not being utilised to any great extent.
The Agricultural Research Council did trials in the Transkei, where the local population was getting 350 kg per hectare, and by doing the right things the yield went up to six tons per hectare and more. Now, those areas of high potential soil have a potential for producing crops far more profitable than maize, but if it was brought under maize it would more than double South Africa's maize yield, which would also be disastrous.
The Agricultural Research Council presented a proposal to Minister Derek Hanekom in 1997, as well as to MEC Stofile, and no response was received at that stage. Very gratifying was the fact that the economic adviser to the Deputy President asked for an updated version of that proposal last year, and we hope that something will emanate from that. But the potential for rural development is immense in those areas where high potential soil is available. The only restraints are high soil acidity and trace element deficiencies, and there is technology available for that. It could be addressed with the right technology and providing the necessary support and guidance to those communal areas. So I would suggest that that receives very close attention.
In terms of the Western Cape's involvement, we would like to improve the relationship between Land Affairs and the provincial Department of Agriculture. Currently it is on uncertain ground. This situation is untenable, as it is preventing a co-ordinated approach to land reform where the provincial department would assume responsibility for the extension and related services necessary for successful projects. We see that land reform is a national competency of the Department of Land Affairs, but a formal agreement with the provinces and in this case the Western Cape is absolutely essential if co-ordinated and effective deployment of resources is to take place.
We would like to see a memorandum of understanding being signed between the two governments, where the successful land redistribution and utilisation need close co-operation between Land Affairs and Agriculture. This would facilitate invitations to and attendance by Land Affairs officials of key provincial meetings and cement a mutually productive working relationship.
The Department of Agriculture wants to be more involved in the identification of suitable farms for land reform, and also in the selection of potential new farmers for these projects. It has on-the-ground knowledge of resources, constraints and possibilities, and has the expertise and capacity to contribute in this respect.
We are concerned about the future of certain projects. At Elandskloof ownership is lacking, as the beneficiaries are grouped together in a community trust. Land Affairs has placed them under administration. Internal strife is leading to rapid deterioration and urgent intervention is required, and the province would certainly be very prepared to help.
The Ebenhaezer claim seems still to be in limbo. Six farms were bought, but to date no farmers have been identified to operate these farms. These include all productive grape farms and two tunnel farms, which are all deteriorating rapidly and they need very urgent attention. The Western Cape Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs needs to arrive at an agreement as soon as possible, in which a common approach to land reform projects is developed, ensuring that new entities that emerge are immediately productive, and beneficiaries are able to rapidly move to sustainable economic independence while resources and infrastructure are maintained and improved. I think this has been one of the problems with many land reform projects in the past. The land is conveyed but the support systems are not in place. The province would certainly like to support the national government in this particular enterprise.
Then, hon Chair, just in conclusion, I noticed the altercation between the hon member De Beer and the hon member Sinclair when they were arguing about what vehicles they were using to promote their particular parties' policies. I think they should think a bit about the words of an Afrikaans poet, Ronnie Belcher, who wrote:
Dis 'n druk ding en 'n sluk ding Dit bring 'n bietjie verligting Ons is op die regte pad Maar dalk in die verkeerde rigting.
I thank you, Madam Chair.