Thank you, hon Chairperson. Hon MECs, hon members of the Council, the National Development Plan is the roadmap for our programmes for development. Chapter 6 sets out the trajectory for rural economic transformation and development.
In making land reform work and acknowledging that land reform is necessary to unlock the potential for a dynamic, growing and employment-creating agricultural sector, the National Development Plan's proposed model is based on the following six principles: Firstly, to enable a more rapid transfer of agricultural land to black beneficiaries without distorting land markets or business confidence in the agricultural business sector; secondly, to ensure sustainable production on transferred land by making sure that human capabilities precede land transfer through incubations, learnerships, apprenticeships, mentoring and accelerated training in agricultural sciences; thirdly, to establish monitoring institutions to protect land markets from opportunism, corruption and speculation; fourthly, to bring land transfer targets in line with the fiscal and economic realities to ensure that land is transferred successfully; and lastly, to offer white commercial farmers and organised industry bodies the opportunity to contribute significantly to the success of black farmers through mentorship, chain integration, preferential procurement and meaningful skills transfer.
Therefore, in terms of this proposed model, each district municipality with commercial farm land in South Africa should convene a committee, a district land committee, with all agricultural landowners in the district, as well as key stakeholders such as the private sector, the government and provincial departments that deal with rural development, land reform, agriculture and government agencies such as the Land Bank and the Agricultural Research Council.
His Excellency President Zuma, during both state of the nation addresses in February and June 2014 said:
The next administration will need to take forward a number of policies, legislative and practical interventions, to further redress the dispossession of our people of their land.
Therefore, the policies that will drive actual socioeconomic change and interventions in rural South Africa will include the democratisation of decision-making in matters of land administration and development, facilitating scaled-up land reform and instituting legally secured tenure and managed agricultural transformation as a basis for broader rural development.
To this end, hon Chairperson, we have undertaken a series of policy, legislative and institutional reforms with the aim of accelerating land reform, tenure reform, land development and rural economy transformation based upon the agrarian strategy. Working together with the economic sectors, employment and infrastructure cluster departments, we will advance our policy, legislative and institutional reform processes.
Hon members, the policies that we will be focusing on in the 2014-15 financial year include communal land tenure, communal property associations, regulation of land holdings, electronic deed registration and the extension of security of tenure for farm dwellers, tenants and workers.
We will continue codifying the exceptions to the 1913 cut-off date with respect to the Khoi and the San heritage sites and historical landmarks. Discussions on policy proposals on strengthening the relative rights of people working the land will continue.
We appreciate the current public discourse as it will enrich the discussions. South Africans are talking. Let us remind ourselves of the words of our former President, his Excellency the late Nelson Mandela, addressing Parliament in the President's Budget Debate on 18 August 1994, said:
To present a facade of unity on each and every issue would be artificial, undemocratic and patently pretentious. The more these issues are aired and opened up for public debate, the better for the kind of democracy we seek to build. Handled within the bounds dictated by the interests of coherent and effective governance, such debate will definitely enrich our body politic. This applies equally to debate within parties about how to manage this novel experience.
Again, when he addressed a rally in Durban on the February 1990, he said:
Since my release, I have become more convinced than ever that the real makers of history are the ordinary men and women of our country. Their participation in every decision about the future is the only guarantee of true democracy and freedom.
As far as legislative development and institutional reforms are concerned, the following Bills will be introduced to Parliament for consideration: Electronic Deeds Registration Bill, Regulation of Land Holdings Bill, Extension of Security of Tenure Amendment Bill, Communal Property Associations Amendment Bill, and Communal Land Tenure Bill.
We plan to introduce the electronic system through the Electronic Deeds Registration Bill. It will allow us to achieve universal, countrywide access to deeds registration and cadastral services. It will decrease turnaround time for approval and registration of property. The Deeds Office processes almost a million registrations per annum, yet it is done manually.
We believe this piece of legislation is progressive and will have an immediate impact once operational. It will allow for the current paper- based system for lodgement and registration of deeds, which currently requires the conveyancer to appear before the Registrar of Deeds, to lodge electronically.
The second Bill that we will bring before Parliament this year is the Regulation of Land Holdings Bill. This Bill seeks to provide for the establishment and composition of the Land Commission, the appointment, qualifications and remuneration of members of the Land Commission, the classification of controlled land, the determination of land ceilings and the regulation of land ownership by foreign nationals.
Through this Bill, we seek to provide a legal framework for the disclosure of race, gender and nationality by owners of land and property. It will provide a transparent and more conducive regulatory environment for the generation and utilisation of policy-relevant information on land ownership and usage in the country.
The third Bill is the Extension of Security of Tenure Amendment Bill, which in the main attempts to address legitimate aspirations of the vulnerable groups in commercial farming areas, namely, the farm workers and farm dwellers. The Bill further proposes the establishment of the Land Rights Management Board with District Land Reform Committees and Local Land Rights Management Committees. The latter two will provide a participatory platform for stakeholders.
The Bill envisages strengthening, clarifying and protecting the rights of various categories of persons within the commercial farming space. It is strongly believed that the Bill will help bring about a stable, cohesive and conducive atmosphere in farming communities.
The fourth Bill is the Communal Property Associations Amendment Bill, which seeks to ensure greater efficiency in the registration of Communal Property Associations, improved levels of social stability within affected groups or communities, as well as improved accountability to Parliament by the department. This Bill will provide for security of tenure through the registration of title deeds in the name of individual households. This will apply to both farm dwellers and labour tenants.
The fifth Bill, which is the Communal Land Tenure Bill, seeks to reform communal tenure to provide for the institutionalisation of land use rights by individual households irrespective of gender. It will define institutional roles and roles-relationships; provide for the distinction between governance and investment and development entities in the communal space; delineate responsibilities of the governance and investment and development entities and establish an accountability regime for the governance structures and investment and development entities in that space as well as to protect communal land from land sharks and to provide for active participation by households in strengthening the capability of the local sphere of government.
Hon Chair, you would have observed that most of the proposed pieces of legislation are about ensuring that together, we move South Africa forward. I am confident that with these policies and pieces of legislation, the ANC- led government will be placed in a position to accelerate the process of rural development and land reform. Working together with the economic sectors, employment and infrastructure cluster departments, our policy legislation and institutional reforms will be advanced.
We acknowledge that to enable the department to deliver on its ambitious programmes, its capacity will have to be dramatically strengthened. This should include communication with stakeholders and strategic partners. Our budget proposal is as follows, hon Chair: For 2014-15, R9,455 billion; 2015- 16, R9,574 billion and for 2016-17, R10,67 billion. Hon Chair, thank you very much. [Applause.]