Hon Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, hon members, distinguished guests in the gallery, fellow South Africans ...
Lishonile bonkhosi! [Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.]
Indeed, South Africa has entered into the second decade of freedom with the idea of strengthening its democracy, accelerating progress, and improving the quality of life of its people.
It is evident that the people in the rural areas are impoverished, and still find it difficult to access government services. There are many factors that hinder this situation, for example the issue of exploitation of government by these white farm owners and racial exploitation of the farmworkers and farm dwellers.
Kutfutfukiswa kwemphilo yasemakhaya nekwabiwa kwemhlaba kuyinselela lenkhulu nendzima ledlalwe nguKhongolose. Loku kubonakala ngalesikhatsi Khongolose alwisana nelubandlululo ngekuhlanganyela nebantfu uma abeka umtsetfomgomo wakhe kuFreedom Charter lapho itsi: "Umhlaba wabo bonkhe bantfu labaphila kuwo futsi batawugiyelana nangemnotfo walelive labo."
Kungalowomtsetfomgomo lapho i-ANC yahlala phasi ivumelana nebantfu ngekubona tinselela lebabukene nato eNingizimu Afrika nga-1955 eKliptown. Ngekutfola tikhalo letivela kutinhlanga tonkhe tekutsi hulumende welubandlululo ucindzetela bantfu ngemtsetfomgomo we-Group Areas Act wanga- 1950. Lowomtsetfo bewucindzetela bantfu ngekutsi ubasuse etindzaweni tabo ubalahlele ngaphandle lapho bengenakutfola khona lusito.
Kulesikhatsi sanyalo Khongolose sewufikile ngeke kuphindze kwenteke loko, babe Mandela washo. (Translation of Siswati paragraphs follows.)
[Improving rural development and land distribution is a big challenge and role played by the African National Congress. This was visible during the time when the African National Congress was fighting apartheid by working jointly with the people when it laid down its policy on the Freedom Charter that said land belongs to all the people who live on it and that they will share the wealth of their land.
It is because of this policy that the ANC decided to talk to the people and they jointly agreed because of the challenges they were encountering in South Africa in the year 1955, at Kliptown. They received grievances from people of different nations stating that the apartheid government, with its policy of the Group Areas Act of 1910, was oppressing people. That Act was oppressing people by removing them from their original places and throwing them away in places where they might not get any form of assistance.
This time, the ANC is in power, this will never happen again, so said Mr Mandela.]
It cannot be that after 15 years of our democratic government, there are still a lot of the masses of our people living in abject poverty, while there are progressive policies to remedy the situation. The Polokwane resolution has resonance for ownership patterns in the agricultural sector in South Africa, but also refocuses the agricultural business programme towards rural development and food security. Indeed, it provides a clear indication of where political priorities should be in going forward for the