Chairperson, the DA believes that land reform is of critical importance and it must succeed. It has, however, been the proverbial fly in the ointment of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and of its predecessor, Agriculture and Land Affairs. The shocking administration and dubious integrity of this branch has been a blight for years on the critical issue of land transformation.
The department is faced with an arrears backlog of R6,5 billion which serves as an almost insurmountable obstacle to finalising this unending and critically important land restitution programme. Not only does this present itself as a handbrake to desperately needed rural development, it serves as a direct detergent on agricultural economic growth in parts of this country that are worse affected by poverty.
Treasury recognised the gravity of this situation last year and granted this department a R2 billion increase in the Adjustments Appropriation Bill. However, due to the almost critical state of incapacity and mismanagement in land reform, there has been no such generosity this year. Not only does this compel the existing backlog ... [Interjections.]