National Council of Provinces - 05 April 2001
THURSDAY, 5 APRIL 2001 __
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
____
The Council met at 14:02.
The Deputy Chairperson took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS - see col 000.
NOTICES OF MOTION
Dr P J C NEL: Mr Chairman, I give notice that I shall move at the next sitting:
That the Council -
(1) notes the release of the long-awaited report of President Mbeki’s controversial Aids advisory panel, which, as the DA predicted for months, has produced no concrete results to help the millions of Aids sufferers in South Africa;
(2) further notes with shock that, by the Government’s own admission, the report has no effect on the current Aids policy and thereby confirms the fact that this multimillion-rand exercise was put in place only to satisfy the curiosity of our President, who is now left with even more questions rather than answers;
(3) acknowledges that the report confirms the ANC’s contradictory stance on the use of antiretrovirals, which differentiates itself from the DA’s policy, in which the DA supports antiretroviral use; and
(4) calls on the Government to stop using the report as a cover up for their feeble fight against HIV/Aids.
Mr J O TLHAGALE: Chairperson, hon Ministers and hon members, I give notice that at the next sitting of this House I shall move:
That the Council - (1) notes with concern that a shopping complex that was looted and destroyed in Itsoseng Township, North West, in the violence of March 1994, has not been reconstructed;
(2) notes that the absence of this business centre has caused the residents untold hardship and suffering; and
(3) calls on the provincial government to do all in its power to rebuild the centre and give credibility to the RDP.
REPORT ON ILL-TREATMENT OF ELDERLY
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M E SURTY: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
(1) takes note of and acknowledges with thanks the release by the Minister of Social Development of two volumes of a report compiled by the ministerial committee on the abuse, neglect and poor treatment of older persons in all nine provinces;
(2) notes the shocking facts mentioned in the report in respect of the abuse and brutalities committed against senior citizens, not only in institutions for the aged and state hospitals, but also within the family context of our communities;
(3) thanks the Minister of Social Development for this investigation by a special committee and for the comprehensive reports that have been released for all to read; and
(4) regards this matter as so important that it be debated as soon as possible.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
WORLD HEALTH DAY FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH
(Draft Resolution)
Ms L JACOBUS: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
(1) supports and endorses World Health Day on 7 April 2001, particularly since this day is being used to highlight mental health problems;
(2) calls on all members to heed the call by the Minister and her department to ring a bell at noon on World Health Day for mental health;
(3) takes cognisance of the fact that the World Health Organisation and the World Bank have declared that -
(a) mental health problems can affect anyone and have
calculated that one in five people suffer from mental health
problems in their mildest or severest form; and
(b) depression as a mental health problem is regarded as being
the disease with the fourth highest incidence; and (4) encourages members both of the Council and the community at large to
eradicate the stigma and superstitions attached to mental health
problems.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): I call upon the hon member Bhengu.
Mr M J BHENGU: I do not have a motion, Chairperson. [Interjections.]
ACTION AGAINST CHOLERA
(Draft Resolution)
Mrs E N LUBIDLA: Chairperson, I wish to move without notice:
That the Council -
(1) notes that three deaths relating to cholera were recently reported in Alexandra; (2) commends the Gauteng provincial government for speedily activating a cholera joint operations centre comprising a team from the Gauteng Health Department and local government in response to the latest deaths;
(3) recognises the major boost which the fight against cholera received through the announcement by the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry of a R3 billion investment to provide basic water and sanitation services over the next three years; and
(4) believes that these interventions confirm the Government’s commitment to curb the spread of cholera and to create a risk-free health environment for the country’s poor.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
ANC YOUTH LEAGUE NATIONAL CONFERENCE
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M A SULLIMAN: Chairperson, I wish to move without notice:
That the Council -
(1) notes that the African National Congress Youth League is holding its National Conference at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein;
(2) recognises the important contribution the youth of South Africa have made in the struggle for our liberation;
(3) believes that as the future leaders of this country, the youth should be encouraged to engage in debates around critical issues that confront our country; and
(4) wishes them well during their deliberations and hopes that they will emerge with a renewed sense of commitment to confront the challenges facing our country.
Mr A E VAN NIEKERK: May I move an amendment, Sir? I agree with the motion, except that I feel that the advertisement for the meeting of the ANC Youth League should be left out. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Do you agree to that, hon member?
Mr M A SULLIMAN: No, Chairperson, I do not agree to it.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Since there is an objection to the motion, it may not be proceeded with. [Interjections.] No, it is an objection to the amendment. Is there any objection to the motion in principle? There is no objection.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
Dr E A CONROY: I am sorry that we did not amend this motion, Chairperson. The conference should be held in Johannesburg, not Bloemfontein. [Laughter.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Order!
GOOD WISHES FOR EASTER AND PASSOVER
(Draft Resolution)
Mr J L THERON: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
(1) notes that Christians in South Africa and all over the world will be observing Easter next weekend;
(2) notes that the Jewish community will be celebrating the Passover; and
(3) wishes these two religious communities and all South Africans well over the Easter and Passover holidays and prays that they and all MPs will have a safe journey to their different holiday destinations.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
REFUSAL OF CAPE TOWN UNICITY MAYOR TO APPEAR BEFORE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE (Draft Resolution)
Mr B J MKHALIPHI: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
(1) notes the refusal of Unicity mayor Peter Marais to appear before the Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation to explain allegations of racism in the Newlands Stadium soccer row;
(2) expresses its concern over statements attributed to Mr Marais that he would never accede to the request to appear before the portfolio committee, even if he was summoned to do so;
(3) recognises that section 56 of the Constitution empowers National Assembly committees to summon any person to appear before them and to compel such person to comply with the summons; and
(4) believes that Mr Marais’ stated intention to ignore any summons from the portfolio committee to appear before it, displays a flagrant disregard for the Constitution of this country and the institution of Parliament.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Is there any objection to the motion? In the light of the objection, the motion may not be proceeded with, and it will become notice of a motion.
OPEN LETTER FROM DR ALLAN BOESAK TO MINISTER OF EDUCATION
(Draft Resolution)
Mr K D S DURR: Mr Chairman, I move without notice: That the Council -
(1) notes the inspired open letter, written from prison, by Dr Allan Boesak to Minister Kader Asmal, in response to the Minister’s criticism of the successful Christian rally held at Newlands on 21 March 2001, attended by over 45 000 people;
(2) calls upon South Africans generally and the Government in particular to carefully consider Dr Boesak’s profound message and to heed his heartfelt warning that accurately reflects the feelings of a great multitude of South Africans; and
(3) commends Dr Boesak for his courage in speaking out as he has.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Is there any objection to the motion?
Mr M V MOOSA: I have no objection, Chairperson, but I move as an amendment:
That the following paragraph be added after paragraph (3):
(4) further notes that Minister Asmal has apologised to the relevant community for the statements he made.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Do you agree to the amendment, hon member?
Mr K D S DURR: I do, Mr Chairman, as an addition to the motion.
Amendment agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
Motion, as amended, agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution, namely: That the Council -
(1) notes the inspired open letter, written from prison, by Dr Allan Boesak to Minister Kader Asmal, in response to the Minister’s criticism of the successful Christian rally held at Newlands on 21 March 2001, attended by over 45 000 people;
(2) calls upon South Africans generally and the Government in particular to carefully consider Dr Boesak’s profound message and to heed his heartfelt warning that accurately reflects the feelings of a great multitude of South Africans;
(3) commends Dr Boesak for his courage in speaking out as he has; and
(4) further notes that Minister Asmal has apologised to the relevant community for the statements he made.
SIGNIFICANCE FOR INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES OF MR MANDELA’S PARTICIPATION IN KLEIN KAROO NATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL
(Draft Resolution)
Mnr A E VAN NIEKERK: Voorsitter, ek stel sonder kennisgewing voor:
Dat die Raad -
(1) verheug daarvan kennis neem dat oudpresident Nelson Mandela op 7 April 2001 die gasspreker is op die Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees;
(2) die organiseerders en borge van die fees gelukwens met die inisiatief om mnr Mandela te nooi;
(3) sy dank uitspreek dat oudpresident Mandela ingestem het om die feesgangers toe te spreek en hierdeur weer eens sy verbintenis bewys om Afrikaans en die ander inheemse tale hul regmatige plek in Suid- Afrika te gun; (4) van mening is dat die versugting om tale hul regmatige plek te laat inneem, spoedig gestalte moet vind in ‘n nasionale talebeleid en talewet; en
(5) die organiseerders en die feesgangers ‘n genotvolle ervaring wat met groei gepaard gaan, toewens gedurende die Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees. (Translation of Afrikaans draft resolution follows.)
[Mr A E VAN NIEKERK: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
(1) is delighted to take note of the fact that former President Nelson Mandela will be the guest speaker at the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival on 7 April 2001;
(2) congratulates the organisers and sponsors of the festival on the initiative of inviting Mr Mandela;
(3) expresses its gratitude that former President Mandela has agreed to address the festivalgoers, thereby once again proving his commitment to granting Afrikaans and the other indigenous languages their rightful place in South Africa;
(4) is of the opinion that the desire to have languages assume their rightful place should be realised speedily in a national language policy and language Act; and
(5) wishes the organisers and festivalgoers a pleasurable experience associated with growth during the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival].
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
CONDITIONS FOR ELDERLY AT PENSION PAYPOINTS
(Draft Resolution)
Mrs J N VILAKAZI: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
(1) commends the Minister of Social Development for his commitment to improve the conditions experienced by elderly persons at paypoints;
(2) supports the Minister’s concern regarding the length of time spent in queues, lack of shelter, lack of toilet facilities and of all other necessary essentials to make paypoints conducive to serve our senior citizens;
(3) notes that no national or uniform standards are applied to private contractors who pay pensions in most provinces: paymasters arrive late, machines break down and sometimes money runs out; and
(4) supports any further steps by the Minister which would positively influence the treatment of elderly persons at paypoints.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
DEATHS IN PRISONS CAUSED BY HIV/AIDS
(Draft Resolution)
Mr P A MATTHEE: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
(1) takes note of the contents of the Annual Report of the Inspecting Judge for the period 1 April to 31 December 2000, especially that -
(a) the number of ``natural'' deaths in prisons has escalated from
186 such deaths recorded in 1995 to 1 087 recorded for 2000 - an
increase of 584% during the past five years;
(b) from the postmortem reports those ``natural'' deaths would
appear to have been caused by HIV/Aids in most of the cases; and
(c) a projection based on the figures of the past five years was
made of the number of deaths that could occur should the
escalation continue and based on that, unless a cure is found,
deaths caused by HIV/Aids will amount to 7 000 prisoners per
annum in five years and to 45 000 per annum in 10 years; and
(2) is of the opinion that appropriate steps should be taken as soon as possible to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids in prisons and to protect HIV-negative prisoners from being infected by HIV-positive prisoners. Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF JOINT SUBCOMMITTEE ON POWERS AND PRIVILEGES
(Draft Resolution)
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE COUNCIL: Chairperson, I move that the following resolution printed in my name on the Order Paper be adopted:
(1) notwithstanding Joint Rule 35(1), the Joint Subcommittee on
Powers and Privileges report its recommendations to transform the
existing law and practice on existing parliamentary powers and
privileges;
(2) the Council refers the draft bill on Powers and Immunities of
Parliament to an ad hoc Committee of the Council for consideration
and report, and for that purpose establishes a committee in terms
of Rule 160, the committee to -
(a) consist of 15 members;
(b) consider the bill in accordance with Chapter 10 of the
Rules;
(c) exercise those powers that may assist it in carrying out
its task;
(d) confer with a corresponding committee in the National
Assembly; and
(e) complete its task by 30 November 2001.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution. ADVISORY BOARD ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT BILL
(Consideration of Bill and of Report thereon)
Ms L JACOBUS: Comrade Chairperson, Minister and members of the Council, the Advisory Board on Social Development Bill is the culmination of a long process of consultation with NGOs, government departments, educational institutions and a number of stakeholders within the social development sector. As individual members of the select committee, some of us participated in the informal and formal stages of deliberations by the Portfolio Committee on Social Development in the National Assembly.
The establishment of this advisory board is another step closer to the total transformation of this particular department. It also signals the consolidation of, firstly, a partnership between Government and civil society. This partnership is based on the principles of inclusivity, representation, diversity, transparency, mutual accountability and autonomy.
Secondly, it signals the consolidation of co-operative governance by working with local government to address social development needs, and I refer the House to clause 3(a)(iii) under ``Objectives of Board’’.
Since the board will be composed of a minimum of nine and a maximum of 11 members, including departmental representatives, we as representatives in the NCOP must ensure that suitable people from our respective provinces are nominated when the Minister calls for these nominations in the various newspapers, radio stations and other media.
Clause 5(2) also places a responsibility on the Minister to ensure a geographical spread in the appointments which will be made on the recommendation of the select committee and the portfolio committee. I refer members to clause 5(5) on this matter.
In order to achieve the objectives of the advisory board, which are to advise the Minister and act as a consultative forum for the Minister on social development matters, the advisory board has the following duties: firstly, to identify, promote, monitor and evaluate policy, legislation and programmes; secondly, to facilitate dialogue between Government and civil society; thirdly, to promote stakeholder participation; fourthly, to submit annual reports to the Minister and to Parliament; fifthly, to make formal reports available to the public to ensure transparency and accountability; sixthly, to keep abreast of international developments and social development policy; and last, but not least, to establish clear guidelines on communication with all stakeholders, including the parliamentary committees.
The White Paper for Social Welfare, which was adopted in 1996, acknowledges the inadequacies of governance structures of the past which lacked legitimacy and inclusivity, and which perpetuated selective service delivery. It recognises the need to turn this tide around. The establishment of this board will greatly enhance dialogue between civil society, social development structures and the different spheres of government structures. It will indeed turn this tide around and contribute towards ``the building of unity in action for change’’, which is the slogan of the Department for Social Development.
With those few words I would like to place on the table the report of the select committee, as a sign of how well we worked together as all political parties. Since this is section 75 legislation, we agreed that we would not have a speakers’ list, but that I would make a statement on behalf of the committee in support of this legislation before us.
I place before the House the adoption of the committee report as outlined in the ATC.
The MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: Mr Chairperson, hon members, thank you for the opportunity to address the NCOP on the occasion of the Second Reading of the Advisory Board on Social Development Bill. The Bill is the product of an extensive consultative process, and there is general support of the objectives and features of the Bill across the social development sector.
By creating a representative board that advises the Minister, and acts as a consultative forum on social policy, the Bill reinforces the principles of participation and accountability that are the backbone of our democracy. There is general support for the objectives and features of the Bill.
I will focus my address on the critical role that the NCOP must play in ensuring that the board is representative and grounded in its composition.
The NCOP also has a continuing role to play in monitoring the performance of the board, and I will speak to this issue too.
My extended visits to the provinces, where I saw a great deal of suffering, were an eye-opener in many respects. One factor that stood out was the absence of an NGO presence in the rural and remote areas of our country. It is therefore important for us to question our traditional assumptions about who speaks for these excluded people who live on the margins of our society.
The NCOP has a critical role to play in ensuring that the people selected to serve on the board have more than a passing familiarity with the material and social conditions of the rural poor. This requires proactive action on the part of all members of the NCOP, to encourage and solicit nominations from the community-based organisations that are traditionally excluded from such forums.
There is some validity to the charge that the mechanisms used in the consultation process were not sufficiently accessible to the poor, marginalised and vulnerable members of our society. An appropriately focused and workable board is nevertheless being proposed and we all now have an opportunity to correct this injustice. The NCOP also has a critical role to play in ensuring the validity of the board. This requires that members of the NCOP bring issues from their constituencies to the attention of the board and ensure that these issues are pursued.
It is also required that the NCOP regularly monitors and interrogates the performance of the board. As is generally the case with a statutory body, the board will be required to adhere to, and deliver on, the objectives set out in the legislation. What, however, differentiates this board is the fact that its purview speaks directly to the challenges and consequences of poverty and inequality in our country.
These challenges are the core of Government’s programme of action for the year 2001, and require an ongoing dialogue with all social partners, faith- based organisations, civil society in general, the business sector and organised labour. The Advisory Board on Social Development creates a platform for an authentic partnership in the areas of policy development, service delivery and programme monitoring, and deserves nonpartisan support.
In conclusion, I would like to conclude my comments by thanking the members of the Select Committee on Social Services for the guidance and support they provide to my Ministry. The major challenge facing all of us, in the coming years, will be to invigorate and strengthen local government. I look forward to working with the NCOP and the Advisory Board on Social Development in this task. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): I thank the Minister for this short but meaningful debate. [Applause.]
Bill agreed to in accordance with section 75 of the Constitution.
APPROPRIATION BILL
Debate on Vote No 24 - Agriculture, and Vote No 28 - Land Affairs:
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to welcome the hon the Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs to this House. I recognise and note members from the provinces, our special delegates, who are also welcomed. I see that the hon the Deputy Minister is sitting in the corner, and I welcome him, too.
The MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND LAND AFFAIRS: Chairperson, hon members, honoured guests present here and fellow South Africans, as we meet here today, the ANC Youth League is meeting in Mangaung, Bloemfontein, the historic birthplace of the ANC, to chart the way forward and redefine their role in building our democracy. Among the issues being deliberated upon in that gathering is the role of youth in agricultural development.
As a Ministry we are heartened by the focus as it reflects a continuation of engagement on strengthening youth participation in the agricultural sector. This indicates the maturity of our young people in understanding the importance of food security. The decisions taken at this conference will have a major bearing on policy and planning for food security in the future. It is our hope that other youth political formations and civil society organisations will indeed follow this good example.
The commitment of the ANC-led Government to an equitable and sustainable land dispensation is what we have to fulfil in implementing our policy. It is, however, a critical challenge to acknowledge that our land reform addresses social justice requirements in relation to asset allocation and compensation as well as giving an impetus to the meaningful economic development of our people through participation in the agricultural economy.
This approach is clearly demonstrated in the Government’s programme of action for the year 2001. In this context, the Ministry for Agriculture and Land Affairs has been assigned the strategic role of facilitating the achievement of the overarching government objectives of equitable access to land, land redistribution, security of tenure for the landless, sustained food security, maximisation of the contribution of agriculture to the economy and ensuring the nurturing and wise use of our natural resource base. In order to achieve this, the Ministry, through its two departments, will spend the current budgetary resources to continue with a focus on accelerated land delivery for quality human settlement and economic use, as well as to support the economic growth and the deracialisation of the agricultural sector.
A second key thrust will be to act in such a manner as to actively contribute to poverty eradication, rural development and urban renewal. Intergovernmental relations and civil society participation in this implementation are therefore critical and important. As part of our social mobilisation, the Ministry has been engaged in discussions with farmers’ organisations, commodity groups and private companies in order to build consensus on what the critical actions for the country in the agricultural sector are.
These discussions have led to an agreement in the presidential working group on developing an agricultural sector strategy. This process will clarify individual and collective responsibility in the implementation of the strategy. I would like to acknowledge the input that has been given through this dialogue by Agri SA, Grain South Africa, Nafu, Capespan and other commodity organisations that we have engaged with in the past year.
Within the land arena, we have undertaken consultation with the traditional leaders on the future of land administration in communal areas. This consultation has been necessary and will continue to be so, until we are able to find a balance that will accommodate the needs of various sectors in those communities, both in land use and in development.
The Ministry’s Land Indaba, held last year, in part built consensus around the various products of land reform which will address human settlement, tenure reform and agricultural development.
There was also acknowledgement that there is a need for continuous dialogue with the land NGOs, in order to find common ground on which we can work to address the needs of vulnerable communities who lack security of tenure. Clearly, the tensions around access to land and for what purpose need to be managed through dialogue, particularly with those who are direct beneficiaries, and also local government representatives and broader communities. It is also important to acknowledge the interface that we have had with our provincial counterparts, my MECs, some of whom are present here today. We have all agreed that it is necessary that we are able to co-ordinate our activities and support one another in line with our co-operative governance system. Our understanding as this political leadership has been that, while we have a concurrent power on agriculture and direct responsibilities for representation, we nevertheless manage the agricultural sector as one system. This collaboration has enabled us to monitor the implementation of our priorities which we agreed upon in 1999.
The way in which we have dealt with the outbreak of foot-and-mouth in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Northern Province is a lesson worth sharing with everyone on the valuable co-operative governance approach that we undertook. All the members of the executive council, some of whom are present here, and their officials were ready to support and, in actual fact, gave their personnel from the veterinary services to the command centre, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Northern Province. I must say that I and my Deputy Minister present here, together with Cabinet colleagues, were very heartened by this kind of solidarity which clearly demonstrated our commitment to our country as a nation. I am confident that all of us seated here indeed would like to give praise to all the MECs and their staff for the way in which they have made us proud as a nation. It is true that co-operative governance can indeed work.
Clearly our financial resources at national level should support the work that is done by the provinces in three ways. One of these would be to ensure that we keep agriculture as a system by ensuring that norms and standards in a number of areas are set and monitored. Secondly, the interface with international organisations in order to find support for the work that we do and also opening markets out of our borders becomes a critical element of our work. Thirdly, where there are programmes that have a national character, a single financial mobilisation strategy should be used. We can all agree here, particularly those of us who have been working in the agricultural sector, that the land care programme is one such example that has seen participation by the national Government in the work of the provinces, and even its direct support financially.
It is in this context that programmes and budgets of both the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Land Affairs, which are reflected in Votes 24 and 28, will indicate where our resources will be allocated. Central to this, however, is ensuring that work continues to be reviewed, improved and expanded on the scope of Government programmes necessary to ensure that we indeed improve the quality of life of all South Africans.
Members will recall that last year, in addition to outlining our programme particularly on land reform, we highlighted a number of areas where we proposed new programmes as well as policy changes. As we have identified the lack of a clear link between land delivery and development as one of the major shortcomings in our previous land reform policy, we have remedied that anomaly with the introduction of one area that was lacking, which is the integration of land reform with agricultural development.
The land reform and agricultural development programme is essential as a programme of farmer settlement through land reform. Through this programme, beneficiaries ranging from potential small-scale producers through medium- scale farmers to large-scale farmers would be assisted by Government through the Department of Land Affairs with grants on a sliding scale. It is acknowledged that these are entrepreneurs and are therefore also able to contribute on their own to these programmes. Clearly this programme will assist these farmers around the acquisition programme.
On the other hand, the agriculture departments, both nationally and provincially, will be able to give extension services as well, and the agricultural research institute will be able to continuously support these farmers with whatever necessary information and research capacity is required. On the other hand, in order to manage such disbursement we will work with the Land Bank to ensure that indeed some of these top-up loans to these beneficiaries will be done through the Land Bank and even those other commercial banks that will be willing to come to the programme.
We are proud to announce that the first phase in our implementation of this programme, as we agreed last year in the Land Indaba, will be around the disposal of the agricultural state land. I know when I was here last year some members asked why Government was concerned about the acquisition of new land when the Government itself was a custodian of state land that was not utilised. True to our commitment, as we said again, we identified that agricultural state land that can be used for agricultural development by the new entrants.
One of the programmes around which we can start to dispose of land is in the area of the Eastern Cape, in Port St Johns. It is also necessary to inform honourable members that as a Ministry we have committed ourselves to disposing of 669 000 ha of state land nationally in this current year. We are confident that we will be able to meet that target. The strategy for acquisition through the land and agricultural development programme will be undertaken through targeting available land, preferably in the areas where there is high-potential agricultural land.
It is also worth informing this august House that we have been working with commodity organisations such as Grain South Africa and Capespan in particular to find a way in which they can come as supportive organisations to ensure that the marketing infrastructure and whatever extension service that they have available within their organisations can be shared with the new entrants. Furthermore, a large district-based land reform implementation project, which the DLA is engaged in, is within the Amatola district municipality in the Eastern Cape. Our commitment to this programme has been to the tune of R15 million in this current budget. This is aimed at strengthening local government structures in the implementation phase of land reform.
The number of approved projects in the past year within the land redistribution programme has indeed shown growth as well as change in the quality of the project, which seeks to address the needs of the various beneficiaries. It is, however, worth noting that some of these projects that we are dealing with still date back from the 1997-98 financial year. The reason for this is that some of the projects had to be redefined to ensure that the larger groups can actually be catered for by separating them into two projects so that indeed one does not have pressure on the land, but also the quality of the project becomes sustainable.
It is also necessary to indicate that because of the time lag between approval and spending, one will realise that the audit report that will come up will indicate underspending. Those are committed funds, but, in terms of the cash flow, the accounting system which is used by the Auditor- General actually does not capture what has been approved when the money has already gone into the project. However, the Director-General of Land Affairs and the chief financial officer have undertaken to shorten this time lag so that indeed in the next year we can see a correct analysis of what has been happening around our projects.
Tenure reform, as we have all agreed, is one of the important elements, particularly now that we have to undertake our rural development programme. It is critical that we resolve the issues of land administration in communal areas. We are undertaking some pilots in the three provinces, such as the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Province, through the support that we got from the Swiss government, which amounts to about R6 million, so that we can find a better way around which we can resolve some of the tenure and land administration issues in the rural areas.
I also wish to inform hon members that a national conference on land tenure reform in communal areas and land rights is scheduled to be held in Durban during the third quarter of this year.
This will help us to reassess the Extension of Security of Tenure Act of 1997 as well as the Land Reform (Labour Tenants) Act of 1996 effectively. Within this context, it is necessary to indicate that the drafting of the communal land Bill has already started. We will be consulting with hon members in the provinces and here, together with other stakeholders, so that, indeed, we can come with a legal regime that will define the structure of ownership in communal areas, as well as the nature of land administration that has to occur.
It is also necessary for me to share with members that last year when we were here we promised to increase the pace of restitution. That commitment has been met. Members will recall that by March 2000, 3 916 claims had already been settled. As we speak today, as of 22 March this year, 12 093 claims were settled.
If one may indicate the provincial breakdown, one would say that in the Eastern Cape, we have settled 2 898 claims; the Free State, 405; Gauteng, 3 382; KwaZulu-Natal, 419; the North West, 388; the Northern Cape, 409; the Northern Province, 330; the Western Cape, 3 860; and Mpumalanga, two.
This good trend in restitution is set to continue and, in fact, accelerate as more claims are on the verge of finalisation. This means that if this trend continues, the programme will be wound down in the near future.
I must say that out of the 67 000 claims that were lodged, there are already 220 claims that have been rejected. By the end of this year, we will be able to share with hon members exactly how many claims, out of the ones that were launched, are valid, because we have undertaken a validation process which will end by December 2001 and which will actually help to clarify how many claimants lodged their claims from 1995 to 1998, and out of those, how many are not valid and how many of them we are supposed to deal with.
It is necessary to indicate that through this process we have already heard some of the people in District Six and other communities, like Kroonstad in the Free State, who have indicated that they would want to make a proposal for reopening the registration process because they fell out of the deadline set by us here. I think this is not a matter for the Ministry for Agriculture and Land Affairs alone, but for hon members as well, who are public representatives.
When such requests come up, we would have to deliberate clearly, and understand the enormity and the uncertainty that such processes may actually open up. I am raising this because here in Cape Town, after the resolution of the District Six claim, members would realise that there were people who marched and said they were left out of the process. They were not left out of the process because they were not accommodated, but because they missed the deadline.
I think it is important that we raise those issues of clarifications so that members can have an understanding of what have been the challenges we are facing. I must indicate to all that the expenditure trend in this programme is that expenditure has increased and is going to continue to increase. Therefore, whatever decision we might want to take in revisiting the deadline, the process should take into account the financial enormity that we might have to face as a Government.
It is important that we acknowledge that part of the programmes of land reform, which, again, we indicated last year we were going to put some emphasis on, is in the area which is administered by the Deputy Minister, that of special planning and information.
It is necessary for all of us to understand why we have elevated this programme. We have done so because it is a very important programme which assists in the development planning, which is a very difficult and imprecise undertaking where no clear spatial planning is in place. This is always a problem. It is therefore our intention to ensure that we do whatever is necessary, in terms of policy and legislation, to actually sort out this area, so that all of us can have better settlements which are well planned.
It is also necessary for me to speak briefly on the other Vote, the agricultural Vote. The transformation process of the agricultural sector has indeed moved to a higher platform. This is reflected by the decision of Cabinet to identify agriculture as one of the growth sectors.
It is also necessary for us to look at the trends of what happened in the last year. Gross farm income from agricultural products amounted to R43 381 million for the year that ended 31 December 2000, which is about 2,9% lower than the previous year. Of this, the relative contribution of the different subsectors was as follows: 44% from the livestock sector, 29,4% from the field crops, and 26,2% from the horticultural sector.
Increases in incomes were observed largely in the animal products and a slight increase in the field crops. The horticultural sector experienced a decrease in income of almost 2,7%.
Major issues of concern include the fact that the trend seems to be that the prices that the farmers are paying for their inputs are rising more rapidly than the prices the farmers are receiving for their goods.
It is in this context that as Government, when we deliberated on this sector, we decided to reintroduce the diesel fuel rebate, albeit in the face of global trends in the oil prices. This was intended as a first step to confront the challenge of reducing the cost of inputs in the agricultural sector.
Furthermore, we have embarked on a very comprehensive process, to ensure that the complex, but critical sets of issues that affect agricultural development, such as the one I will mention, are addressed. These issues include the implementation of the farmer settlement programme, which in our view - and I think hon members will agree with me - would allow us to introduce new entrants into the agricultural economy. It is also important that this will allow us to achieve our objective in the deracialisation of the agricultural industry. But as important as this, I must say, is the support that we as Government and also other partners will put into supporting these new entrants.
The other important element is facilitating and co- ordinating infrastructure support to agriculture. I think it is necessary to share with hon members that working together with Public Works, as we indicated last year, has actually given some positive results. Projects that we have undertaken with Public Works supporting us in infrastructure would include areas such as Lumbers in the Eastern Cape, Makhathini flats in KwaZulu- Natal and others in the Northern Province.
It has also enabled us to allow those farmers who are actually settled on agricultural state land in particular to get better infrastructure, some of which has been rehabilitated and some of which is new, which will support their agricultural development. The other critical challenge that we have is to ensure access to finance for those people who have been previously disadvantaged.
I must say that it is also important in this area not only to talk about access, but also to raise the issue that all of us have to deal with - the issue of the agricultural debt both in the development sector and in the established sector.
It is important for us to manage this issue because it is very critical for the success and the competitiveness of the agricultural industry. We also have a task and we have agreed, within Cabinet, that we need to put in place incentives and systems to increase competitiveness within the agricultural sector. We have also agreed, through our experience, particularly on foot-and-mouth as well as anthrax and lumpy skin diseases that have affected our country, particularly late last year and early this year, that we enhance our animal health system as well as our national regulatory framework.
We have also acknowledged that it is important, if we want to maintain our competitive edge internationally, that we start targeting some of the higher-value crops within the agricultural sector in areas such as hemp and sisal, which can actually give better returns to the producers and also realise better income for the country. I must also indicate that one of the very interesting events we had in the past year was the Female Farmer of the Year competition, whose theme was ``a millennium free of hunger-women’s role in promoting food security’’.
This programme has enabled us to raise the profile of female farmers annually, and also recognise their role in feeding the nation and building the economy. Hon members will be happy to know that this year one of the partners who will be coming with us to give this award to women is SA Breweries. Hon members will recall that SA Breweries had its own programme, which was known as Women in Rural Areas, or Wira. They have decided that we should have a joint venture and form an association of businesswomen in agriculture. We need to congratulate SAB for the work they have been doing, and will continue to do, amongst women engaged in agricultural development.
It is also necessary for me to indicate that in keeping with the work we have to do on agricultural trade and economic policy analysis, we have established a new crop estimate committee, in response to unacceptable variability in the crop estimate that was seen in 1999.
The 2000 annual farm survey was undertaken, and information on the emerging farm sector will be made available for the first time. It is also interesting to note that our engagement, particularly with the Western Cape department of agriculture, has helped us to sharpen our economic analysis in other areas. This is a further indication of intergovernmental relations that have to be nurtured by all of us.
Around the issues of the South African and EU agreement, there were quotas that were allocated for exports. Some of these have already been utilised. We are monitoring the trend to see how far our producers have taken advantage of this programme. Clearly, not everything has been resolved, as we all know. The issues around wine negotiations are still matters that continue between ourselves and our EU partners.
Tariff downphasing schedules for agricultural products were finalised, as well as rules on crop origin, with the exception of wheat, wheat products, tea, coffee and food preparations. Attention was also given to capacity constraints with regard to guaranteeing the health status and quality of South African products. This capacity is crucial, not only for the trade, but also for ensuring the safety of food on the domestic market.
Coming close to home, a workshop was held by members of the SACU. This was intended to discuss our World Trade Organisation commitments, as well as the positions that we need to take collectively around the WTO agricultural negotiations, which will resume this year.
We also undertook in that workshop to do a comprehensive trade analysis, in order to identify specific countries of importance for our agricultural trade. In collaboration with the National Agricultural Marketing Council here at home, a facilitating committee was established for initiatives that require us to actually open new markets for the development sector in particular. Collaboration and financing in this area were also secured from the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
It is very interesting to note that those who participated in this workshop have indeed gained some skills in how they could assist, particularly at provincial level, in improving marketing opportunities for our producers.
One inquiring aspect we need to address is the review of our of Agricultural Marketing Products Act. We are now in a better position to analyse what has happened since we deregulated our industry and what type of instrument we need, therefore, in order to regulate our marketing system locally and internationally. I hope that members in the provinces will be able to work with us to achieve a better legislative regime.
Around nurturing our natural resources, our flagship programme, the Land Care Programme, has actually helped in ensuring that we manage our soils, water and pastures better. Approximately 800 hectares of potential agricultural land were rehabilitated through soil care projects in the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and Kwazulu-Natal, whereby approximately 1 786 jobs were created.
Altogether, 25 Land Care projects were implemented in the North West province, resulting in the rehabilitation of about 10 000 hectares of agricultural land and the creation of 640 temporary jobs. Junior Land Care projects, where we have been working with the young people, have been established in a number of provinces. This is one of the important elements, that we inculcate in young people at an early age the necessity and importance of managing their natural environment.
A number of databases were created by the agricultural geographic information system, which was also used as a tool for information dissemination and a decision support mechanism, when we were developing the integrated rural development strategy.
A total of 1 610 new applications for the subdivision of agricultural land and 409 applications for rezoning were dealt with, while 1 501 consents were issued. I must say that integration in government is starting to bear results. Together with the Departments of Water Affairs and Forestry and Environmental Affairs and Tourism, we undertook a joint programme aimed at eradicating the invasive plants within our communities.
The Department of Agriculture compiled a pamphlet and distributed it to inform and educate the general public about problems that these plants cause, and the detrimental effects that they have on the natural resources of our country. Control operations involving 249 hectares of land were undertaken in order to control the growth of Nassella, and on 8 250 hectares of land we were able to remove one of the invasive plants which is known as the Queen of the Night. These have been declared alien invasive species. During the coming year, we would welcome an opportunity to interface with the NCOP, particularly the Select Committee on Agriculture and Land Affairs, so that hon members can work as champions of that programme.
A total of 1 589 inspections with regard to overgrazing, erosion, key soil conservation works, declared weeds and the burning of veld, as well as the subdivision of land and environmental management for mines, were conducted.
It is also important to share the fact that in working around natural resource management, we have established partnerships with Avcasa and Trees for Africa, which have resulted in partnership in Eduplant, linking land care to food security.
It is important for me, as I conclude, to indicate that in the way in which we have managed and implemented the programme, we have also been able to improve our capacity to manage the public purse. Both departments, through their chief financial officers, have been able to meet their commitments in terms of the Public Finance Management Act. They have been able, monthly, to give the Deputy Minister and me, as the politically responsible persons in this sector, an account of the spending patterns in the department’s programme.
This has enabled us to understand better, in time, where there may be difficulties in spending on certain programmes, so t hat we are able to introduce whatever processes are required to ensure that there is improvement.
We are sure that, at least in the coming year, we will be able to report timeously through other interactions with members on how our spending patterns are occurring in the departments.
We must also say that, in line with the Public Finance Management Act, we were able to set up the audit committees so that we ensure that internally we put in place instruments that monitor what is happening to the money that members, as well as other South Africans as taxpayers, contribute to the work that we have to undertake. With this system in place, I am confident that both departments are well prepared for the implementation of the programmes that we have set for ourselves for the year 2001.
In conclusion, I would like to thank particularly the leadership of the two departments who are here, Dr Mayende, Director-General of Land Affairs, and Bongiwe Njobe, Director-General of Agriculture. I would also like to thank the Deputy Directors-General from Land Affairs, in particular, and our Chief Financial Officer, Sarah Tswane. The Deputy Directors-General are Glen Thomas, Makgalemele and Attie Swart. Attie Swart is acting in the Department of Agriculture as the Deputy Director-General of Trade together with Masiphula Mbongwa. I would like to thank them for the work that they have done together with their teams in ensuring that we meet the commitments that we set ourselves for last year.
But more importantly, I would not be doing justice if I did not thank my Deputy Minister, who has been a legal wizard to advisers on some of these legal issues that sometimes become a problem in the work that we do. I would also like to thank him for his support in the programmes and for taking the lead in some of these areas, which has helped all of us to be here. I would not be honest if I did not say that these hon members, particularly those who are in the select committee, have been conscientious, time and again, in keeping us on our toes, so that we always answer to the electorate about the work that we do.
I would also like to thank my colleagues who are here, Mary Metcalfe and Van Rensburg from the Western Cape. I would like to thank them very much for the support they have always given as colleagues and hope that again this year, as we implement, we will work as a team, as we have always done in the land and agricultural sector. [Applause.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Order! Hon Minister, you will note that you were given 20 minutes, but because they wrote ``plus, minus’’, I decided to give you a plus.
Rev P MOATSHE: Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, Chief Whip of the Council, special delegates, members of the department, members of my committee and hon members, I think it is appropriate to thank the Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs for the commitment she has shown and the progress her department has made in the struggle to ensure a more equitable distribution of land and agricultural resources.
What makes her Ministry’s achievements more remarkable is the fact that they were made in the face of fierce resistance from those forces who benefited from the former regime’s discriminatory land and agricultural policies. The issue of land has always been an important political question, not only in South Africa, but in Africa in general.
It has its origin in the advent of colonialism and the ensuing expropriation of land belonging to the local people. This illegal expropriation, which was legitimised by legislation such as the 1913 Native Land Act, resulted in the massively unequal land ownership in favour of a small minority.
These patterns of distribution became the basis of grossly unequal capital accumulation and dominance by this minority at the expense of the masses of our people. The inequalities established in this way have become a major cause of disgruntlement amongst the landless which, in some instances, has boiled over into mass anger as we have seen happening in Zimbabwe.
The land issue finds additional political significance in the fact that the repossession of expropriated land was an important element of the liberation struggles of many of the states in Southern Africa. Hence, the fact that the issue of the inequitable distribution of land remains unresolved. In essence, this implies that the issue of liberation itself remains unresolved.
Given the potential which the lack of access to land has to create political instability, it is essential that we promote and extend equity in land property rights to our communities which were so crudely dispossessed. The key question is: How do we go about getting people back to the land?
The department has come up with a number of strategies through which it will provide access to land and extend the rights to land to previously disadvantaged communities. These strategies build on, and strengthen, the existing measures which the department has implemented over the last few years. They are based on an evaluation of existing strategies to identify problems which impact on the speed with which land and agricultural reform proceeds.
Some of the problems which exist were identified during a nationwide study tour on land claims and restitution which the Select Committee on Agriculture and Land Affairs undertook. These included community frustrations at delays in resolving claims; the lack of unity amongst some communities, which prevented them from putting their case as one unit; the lack of adequate housing and other infrastructure, such as proper roads on land in dispute; and the fact that different provinces such as Mpumalanga and the Northern Province are served by the same office with a single field worker.
In its discussions with the department, these and other problems, such as the lack of telecommunications facilities like faxes and telephones, have been highlighted. The Minister has committed herself to addressing the concerns of the communities and some progress has already been made.
To speed up land claims cases, the department has, for example, introduced legislation which allows more cases to be solved by administrators. Before the legislation, all the cases had to go to court. Now, only legally disputed cases are heard by the Land Claims Court. This will significantly speed up the processing of land claims.
The department is also in the process of establishing separate offices for Mpumalanga and the Northern Province to enable land claims to be processed faster in those provinces. We are all aware of the fact that our programme to redistribute land to communities which lost their land under the former regime is based on the ``willing seller’’ principle. However, the Government has the power to resort to expropriation if an owner of disputed land refuses to sell. It has, however, been the approach of Government to exhaust all legal avenues to attain a negotiated settlement before resorting to any expropriation. This is the reason the expropriation notice served on the owner of Boomplaats was withdrawn. The withdrawal of the expropriation notice does not rule out the fact that the Government may resort to expropriation if an amicable negotiated settlement with the owner cannot be reached.
It is important to note that since 1995 the Government has spent more than R300 million on land restitution. During this same period thousands of people have also been moved back to the land from which they were forcefully removed.
In addition, the Government has enacted legislation to prevent people from being evicted from property on which they have stayed for a specified period of time, and has given farmworkers security of tenure on pieces of land which they were given in exchange for their labour to farmers.
There can be no doubt about the commitment of the Minister to reforming our racially skewed land distribution pattern. The Minister needs our support. She needs the support of farmers, farmworkers, their families, nongovernmental organisations and all other role-players, who must work with her department so that we can create a harmonious working relationship, and ensure that we all travel together on the road to a better society.
We cannot deny the fact that we are moving away from the South Africa of two worlds, where there was no equality. The endeavour of this Budget Vote is to create one world where people from both worlds shall unite and forge ahead, so that we can be in a position to bring about a better life for all the people of this country. [Applause.]
Dr E A CONROY: Agb Voorsitter, minister Didiza, adjunkminister Du Toit, provinsiale Ministers van landbou, Mary Metcalfe en Gerrit van Rensburg, en kollegas, wanneer ons oor die posisie van landbou in Suid-Afrika praat, kan ‘n mens nie anders as om dit met gemengde gevoelens te doen nie.
Daar word sterk klem geplaas op versnelde groei in die ekonomie en terwyl die wêreldekonomiese vooruitsigte in ‘n wolk van twyfel gehul is, blyk dit dat ‘n 3%-groeikoers tog vir Suid-Afrika haalbaar kan wees. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Dr E A CONROY: Hon Chairperson, Minister Didiza, Deputy Minister Du Toit, provincial Ministers of agriculture, Mary Metcalfe and Gerrit van Rensburg, and colleagues, when we talk about the position of agriculture in South Africa, one cannot but do so with mixed feelings.
Much emphasis is placed on increased economic growth and while the world economic prospects are shrouded in doubt, it appears that a 3% growth rate could nevertheless be attainable in South Africa.]
President Mbeki’s call that the country be placed on an accelerated growth path by utilising scarce resources more competitively and efficiently, in the process creating stable employment opportunities, while at the same time addressing poverty and inequalities, is exactly what is needed in the agricultural sector.
The reality is, however, that since 1998, 59% more loans have been turned down by agricultural businesses and the number of clients against whom action was taken increased by 63%, while the amount of money involved increased by 255%. This means that more agricultural producers are now dependent on loans. Serious consideration must be given to solving the problems in agriculture, and to creatively thinking of incentives rather than punitive measures.
The diesel rebate which was terminated in 1998 cost the agricultural sector roughly R250 million per year. The reinstatement thereof comes as a welcome relief, but it is R700 million later for the agricultural sector. Competitiveness can only be improved by lowering input costs throughout the economy. We wait in suspense for the next exciting episode in this survival drama. Will the charming Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs be able to persuade the tightfisted Minister of Finance to increase the diesel rebate even further?
Dit is baie belangrik dat die agb Minister weer eens verseker word dat ons die beleid steun van grondhervorming wat restitusie insluit. Dit is van die grootste belang dat dit in Suid-Afrika moet slaag. Die sukses van ‘n vreedsame en welvarende transformasie in Suid-Afrika begin juis by grondhervorming. Die verantwoordelikheid hiervoor rus swaar op die skouers van die agb Minister en haar nuwe span by die departement, en ons wens hulle sukses toe.
Die groot uitdaging lê op verskillende vlakke. Die verwagtinge en aspirasies van die nuwe toetreders en die regte van bestaande grondeienaars moet gerespekteer word.
Dit is verder belangrik dat produksie gestimuleer word, maar dat hulpbronne op so ‘n wyse aangewend word dat dit ook vir ons nageslag behoue sal bly.
Ons verwelkom die versekering van die departement dat daar hierdie jaar daadwerklik gewerk sal word aan lewering, want sedert 1995 het die departement nooit daarin geslaag om al hulle begrote fondse vir grondhervorming aan te wend nie. Daar is elke jaar miljoene wat oorgerol moet word.
Dit is jammer dat die departement nie sy onderneming aan die Gekose Komitee oor Landbou en Grondsake om inligting ten opsigte van ongebruikte fondse voor hierdie debat beskikbaar te stel, gestand kon doen nie.
Dit is belangrik om daarop te let dat daar groot bereidwilligheid en baie welwillendheid bestaan by die kommersiële boerderysektor en die sakesektor om sinvol betrokke te raak by grondhervorming. Landbou is egter ‘n bedryf waar talle sektore ‘n rol speel, byvoorbeeld veiligheid en sekuriteit. Die plaasmoorde destabiliseer die totale landbousektor en daarom is dit nie net ‘n kwessie vir Minister Tshwete nie, maar by uitnemendheid ook die agb Minister van Landbou en Grondsake se verantwoordelikheid. Ek is bevrees dat ons te min van haar in dié opsig hoor en sal haar insette hieroor vandag waardeer.
Die vergoedingsformule, die sogenaamde Gildenhuys-formule, by restitusie wek kommer. Die toepassing van die formule was vir die eerste keer ter sprake met die Majeng-eis en nou weer met die eis by Lydenburg in Mpumalanga. Die riglyne vir die formule word in die grondwet vasgelê, maar die toepassing kan onbillik wees. Daar is onduidelikheid oor hoe die bedrae wat van markwaarde afgetrek word, bereken word en wat alles in ag geneem moet word by die toepassing van die formule. Dit het nou belangrik geword dat die hof duidelikheid gee oor die bepalings van die Grondwet.
Ter afsluiting, kan ek noem dat ons die geïntegreerde volhoubare strategie van die departement verwelkom en glo dat die teorie, anders as in die verlede, nou ‘n werklikheid in die praktyk sal word. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.) [It is very important that the hon the Minister should once again be given the reassurance that we support the land reform policy, which includes restitution. It is of the utmost importance that this should succeed in South Africa. The success of a peaceful and prosperous transformation in South Africa in fact starts with land reform. The responsibility for this rests heavily on the shoulders of the hon the Minister and her new team in the department, and we wish them every success.
The major challenge lies at various levels. The expectations and aspirations of the new entrants and the rights of existing landowners should be respected.
It is furthermore important that production be stimulated, but that resources should be utilised in such a manner that they would also survive for our descendants.
We welcome the assurance by the department that this year real action will be taken in respect of delivery, because since 1995 the department has not succeeded in spending all its funds that have been appropriated for land reform. Every year there are millions that have to be rolled over.
It is regrettable that the department could not keep its promise to the Select Committee on Agriculture and Land Affairs to make available information in respect of unutilised funds the Select Committee on Agriculture and Land Affairs prior to this debate.
It is important to note that there is great willingness and much goodwill on the part of the commercial farming sector and the business sector to become significantly involved in land reform. However, agriculture is an industry in which many sectors play a role, for example safety and security. The farm murders destabilise the entire agricultural sector, and for that reason it is not a question for Minister Tshwete only, but by its very nature also the responsibility of the hon the Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs. I am afraid that we hear too little from her in this regard and will appreciate her input about this today.
The compensation formula, the so-called Gildenhuys Formula, in respect of restitution gives cause for concern. Mention was first made of the application of the formula in respect of the Majeng claim, and once again now with regard to the claim in Lydenburg in Mpumalanga. The guidelines for the formula are contained in the Constitution, but the application could be unfair. There is uncertainty about how the amounts deducted from the market value are calculated and what exactly must be taken into account in the application of the formula. It has now become important for the courts to provide clarity on the provisions of the Constitution.
In conclusion, I can mention that we welcome the integrated sustainable strategy of the department and believe that, unlike in the past, the theory will now become a reality in practice. [Applause.]]
Mr P NGCOBO (KwaZulu-Natal): Mr Chairperson, I would like to salute and congratulate the Minister on her budget speech for 2001-02. We, as KwaZulu- Natal, would like to endorse the programmes of the Vote as stipulated. But there are some issues that we would like to raise. We would like to bring to the attention of the Minister the potential for agriculture in KwaZulu- Natal, which poses as a challenge at both national and provincial level. This potential is not being exploited and fully unlocked as yet. We want to appeal to the national Minister to attend to this matter together with our MEC. The question of food security in KwaZulu-Natal for the poor, especially in the rural areas, has not been exploited or maximised as yet. There is a need for a real move from small gardening projects to real involvement in agricultural business. The Xoshindlala Project which has been introduced by the Minister has in fact not addressed the general problems that we have had thus far. It has been dealing with small projects like gardening and sewing, and we feel that it has not risen to the occasion. We are pleading for finished product on farm settlements in KwaZulu-Natal, so that we are not known as raw materials producers, exporting the raw material without converting it into a finished product.
In 2000 expectations of access to land were already raised, but we feel that the process is slow at the moment. The MEC has been exaggerating when addressing this matter. Things are not as rosy as he put it. There is a serious danger if these expectations are not met. We would like to find out from the Minister about the launches of the projects that have been spoken about, because the MEC has been promising us that they will be launching some of these projects.
We would also like to know from the Minister whether she is going to have lead projects. I am very happy about the Makhathini Flats project that she mentioned, and we are hoping that there is going to be co-operation between the provincial and the national departments.
Concerning the question of transformation in the agricultural sector, I just want to give hon members the example of Kwanalo, an organisation that represents farmers. It is, in fact, led by a person who is not even a farmer, which is quite interesting. He happens to be black. So one can see that the gentleman has been used so that people can say that we have transformed the industry. It has not transformed as yet. The agricultural land under amakhosi has not been used to its maximum.
Now I address the question of access to finance. People have been coming to portfolio committees complaining about the fact that they are not getting opportunities from the Land Bank if they want to use the land.
With regard to small farmers, they are still very poor, especially in the sugar industry. The Minister would know that they have not been assisted as yet, and they are complaining to portfolio committees.
In conclusion, we want to appeal to the Minister and this House to be aware of the fact that in KwaZulu-Natal, particularly in an area called Mkhuze, we have a farmer there by the name of Senekal who made his farm available to 30 families, which is supposed to be used for low-cost housing and farming. We want to appeal to other farmers as well to take the cue from the gentleman who has made his farm available to the community. [Applause.]
Mr R M NYAKANE: Chairperson, my co-students during my high school career were fond of quotations. One of the quotations I never took seriously was, and I quote: ``Agriculture is the backbone of a nation.’’ It is only after 46 years that I came to realise the gravity of the situation.
Black South African experience in agriculture, or rather farming activities, leaves much to be desired. We know that European settlers influenced governments to restrict black land rights and created reserves that were too small to support independent agriculture. We know that, firstly, as early as 1890 European farmers experienced serious competition from black farmers who could supply food at lower prices; secondly, the Glen Grey Act of 1894 restricted farm ownership among blacks; thirdly, the Native Land Act passed in 1913, and which was confirmed by the 1936 Act, restricted black farmers to the reserves, which made up only 7,9% of the country. This Act also confirmed the 1894 Glen Grey Act. Given this background, the department’s programme on the promotion of participation by historically disadvantaged groups as well as on agricultural support and development is a step in the right direction.
A recent survey that involved 1,2 million people in the rural population throughout South Africa indicated that there were 823 000 subsistence farmers, and that out of that number 586 000 were women, while 236 000 were men. Put differently, for every 100 men subsistence farmers, there will be more than 200 women subsistence farmers. What does this tell us? It is a pity that I do not have enough time, I would expand further on this.
The survey goes on to reveal the shameful market trends experienced by this group of farmers. I take it that the hon the Minister is aware of the following information: that the annual income from the sale of crops among relatively few households is as follows: 19% could only earn R1 000 and above per annum; 13% could only earn between R500 and R1 000; 14% could only earn between R200 and R500 per annum; and 53% could only earn R200 or less per annum. This is quite shameful.
The above findings leave one with no doubt that an immediate intervention by the department is critical. The department is commended for the launch of the Female Farmer of the Year competition that attracted 150 entrants throughout the provinces. The deeds of the department have spoken louder than its words this time. It has proven beyond reasonable doubt that women can do it. In the Northern Province the competition has produced people such as Grace Dinkwanyana, Pauline Mukatuni and Cecilia Mamabolo, and we are very proud of these three ladies. The quality of products produced by these ladies is such that their produce could even be marketed as far away as France.
With regard to turning developing farmers into commercial farmers, I am made to understand that the United States Aid Agency for International Development is currently engaged in assisting what has hitherto been an insignificant category of farming in South Africa. The sooner the services of this institution commence in the Northern Province, the better.
The need to transform the large number of historically disadvantaged groups into commercial farmers cannot be overemphasised. Commercial farming is not a matter of size or the number of stock that one has, but, I think, a question of attitude. A small farm of a hectare can still satisfy … [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Mrs J N VILAKAZI: Chairperson, the IFP has now, on several occasions, stressed the need to educate emergent and aspirant farmers. Once again we emphasise this point.
There is no dispute about the need for land reform in South Africa, and it is recognised that in the Departments of both Agriculture and Land Affairs very comprehensive structures exist to service most of the needs in new agriculture. However, as stressed earlier, the unforgiving nature of fickle weather and equally unreliable markets make successful usage of land and natural resources a hazardous undertaking. Any established farmer will say that three good years in ten is a norm, and this in itself exposes the need for some ``isikhwama’’ or reserve for those bad years, which will surely come.
In the case of an untrained farmer with limited resources the prospect of success is even further removed. Therefore, the highly sophisticated systems available to the emerging farmer must also include intensive and ongoing training in land use, crop protection and marketing, without which the laudable skills available will be rendered impotent.
It is also considered imperative in land restitution that planning of land use capability be an integral part of the process, lest deep disappointment at long-awaited restoration follows.
The department of agriculture in KwaZulu-Natal is fully aware of the needs and is prepared to implement them. The Department of Land Affairs does need, however, to expedite land claims and the validation of claimants. It would seem that this whole process is becoming bogged down in bureaucratic red tape. The growing impatience of people, so long denied access to land, should not be underestimated, and it is suggested that outsourcing some of the functions of Land Affairs will hasten this vital process.
Lastly, any attempt at the commercial production of agricultural products must be accompanied by the establishment of a reliable market, as nothing is more soul-destroying than to spend a season producing a crop, only to find that it sells at a loss.
Sihlalo, ngethemba ukuthi ngisenayo imizuzwana emincane. UNgqongqoshe wezoLimo nezemiHlaba ubhekene nesimo esinzima kakhulu sokugculisa abantu abasuswa ezindaweni zabo. Ukubanxephezela kudinga ukusheshiswa kakhulu. KwaZulu-Natali, ngokusho kukaNgqongoshe, abantu asebelungiselwe izinxephezelo bayi-119. Engabe-ke bangaki abasasele ngoba abanye banikezwa umhlaba, abanye baqoma ukuthatha imali ngoba phela basuke sebesebenzile kumhlaba abanikwa wona. Akuyona into elula ukulungisa iphutha leminyaka.
UNgqongqoshe wezoLimo nezemiHlaba makazi kahle ukuthi abantu bayaludinga usizo. Usizo oluvelayo lushiya inqwaba yabantu ngaphandle ingasizakalanga. Ukhulumile omunye umhlonishwa esinaye lapha wakhuluma ngoXoshindlala. Asazi ukuthi utholwa ngabanjani. Kungangcono ukuba lolu sizo lunikwa wonke umphakathi ofuna ukuzithuthukisa, kuthi imali ephumile eyisigaxa abantu babelane ngayo kube yilowo nalowo ahlephule, nomunye ahlephule. Akufuneki ukuthi abanye badle konke, abanye basale bebukela bencinta izithupha kodwa nabo bebe bedla imbuya del ngothi.
Sengathi impela lokho uNgqongqoshe wethu angakulandela abone ukuthi lezi zimali eziphumayo zabiwa kanjani. Kufuneka abheke nokuthi basizakala bonke yini labo abasuke befake izicelo. Iyasikhalisa kakhulu le nto ngoba kuye kuthiwe: Nangu uXoshindlala, funani abantu. Sibafune abantu futhi abantu banawo amakhono. Siye sibasize-ke labo bantu kodwa bangatholi lutho.
IPHINI LIKASIHLALO WOMKHANDLU KAZWELONKE WEZIFUNDAZWE [Mnu M L Mushwana]: Thulani! Uxolo mama, isikhathi sesiphelile. Ngiyaxolisa. [Ihlombe.]
Nkk J N VILAKAZI: Ngiyabonga Sihlalo. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of Zulu paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, I hope I still have a few minutes to continue with my speech. The hon the Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs has a difficult challenge, that of satisfying people who were removed from their land. The process of compensation needs to be speeded up. In KwaZulu-Natal there are about 119 people whose compensation arrangements have been made. We do not know the number of the people who have not been attended to. Some people chose to take money because they had already worked on the land that they were given. It is not an easy thing to correct a mistake that has existed for a long time.
The hon the Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs should know very well that people need help. Many people did not receive the assistance that has been offered. One hon member has spoken about Xoshindlala. We do not know what kind of people got it. It would be better if this assistance were given to all communities who wanted to improve themselves. If there is a sum of money, it should be distributed to all people. It is not good if some receive assistance while others do not, since they are all in the same state of poverty.
We want the hon the Minister to follow this up. She must know how these moneys are used. She must ensure that all applicants get assistance. We are worried about this thing, because people say: “Hey, here is Xoshindlala, bring people here”. We then search for people, qualified people. We give the names of those people, only to find that they are not given anything.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Order, Excuse me, mama, your time has expired. I am really sorry. [Applause.]
Mrs J N VILAKAZI: Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]]
Mr H G VAN RENSBURG (Western Cape): Chairperson, Minister Thoko Didiza, Deputy Minister Dirk du Toit, colleague Mary Metcalfe - she is not here at the moment - members, agriculture produces for all, and that is why agriculture brings about change in the lives of ordinary people. Agriculture produces food and clothing and work for all the people of South Africa.
Die landbouer se sukses is nie sy eie sukses nie. Die landbouer kan alleen suksesvol wees as die grond, die son en die reën hom genadig is. Dán kan die landbouer produseer.
Ek wil die Minister gelukwens met ‘n goeie toespraak. Ek wil haar ook bedank dat sy in die komende jaar die volgende probleme gaan aanpak: eienaarskap van grond, insetkoste, landbouskuld en mededingendheid. Ek wil haar ook bedank vir die beskikbaarstelling van hennep en sisal en dat ons weer na die Wet op die Bemarking van Landbouprodukte gaan kyk.
Die Wes-Kaap is verantwoordelik vir tussen 55% en 60% van die landbou- uitvoer van Suid-Afrika, met die Europese Unie die enkele belangrikste bestemming. Uitvoerpogings is die afgelope dekade grootliks ondersteun deur die beëindiging van sanksies en die bevryding van die handel.
Ons is nou in die post-sanksietydperk waarin die venster van nuwe geleenthede ‘n versadigingspunt bereik het. Die landbou is nou blootgestel aan die harde werklikheid van internasionale mededinging. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[A farmer’s success is not his own success. A farmer can only be successful if the land, the sun and the rain are merciful to him. The farmer can then produce.
I want to congratulate the Minister on a good speech. I would also like to thank her for the fact that she is going to address the following problems in the coming year: ownership of land, input costs, agricultural debt and competitiveness. I also want to thank her for making available hemp and sisal and for the fact that we are going to look at the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act again.
The Western Cape is responsible for between 55% and 60% of agricultural exports from South Africa, with the European Union the single most important destination. During the past decade attempts at exports have been greatly supported by the lifting of sanctions and the liberation of trade.
We are now in the post-sanction period during which the window of new opportunities has reached saturation point. Agriculture is now exposed to the hard realities of international competition.]
When does one disinvest? When one drops research. Agriculture cannot afford not to invest in research. That would mean disinvesting in the economic future of South Africa. Lately it is specifically the deciduous fruit industry that has come under extreme financial pressure as a result of deregulation and drastic decreases in product prices.
Following insufficient funding a research initiative, the Sterile Insect Technique, came under so much pressure that it would have been abandoned if an external funder had not been found. The Western Cape government came to the rescue of the project and funded it with R1,5 million. We hope that this funding will contribute to keeping the deciduous-fruit-producing areas of the Western Cape free of fruit fly.
This is a method of stabilising our comparative advantage over European and other foreign markets. At present agriculture is looking for additional funding to support our local deciduous fruit industry with its research.
For every US dollar received by farmers in South Africa, Government directly or indirectly subsidises only 4 cents. In Canada, the USA and the EU, government subsidises respectively 16, 22 and 45 cents for every US dollar received by their farmers. This puts RSA exports at a disadvantage. Agritourism can contribute positively to maximising the use of natural resources, to stabilising farm income at micro level and to broadening the experiences of visiting tourists.
Landbou doen tans navorsing oor die ontwikkeling van ekonomiese modelle vir verskillende agritoerismebedrywighede. Die modelle gaan ontwikkelings- en operasionele koste vir bedrywe soos gastehuise, konferensiegeriewe en 4X4- roetes kwalifiseer en kwantifiseer. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Agriculture is currently conducting research on the development of economic models for various agritourism industries. The models are going to qualify and quantify developments and operational costs for industries like guest houses, conference facilities and 4X4 routes.]
Consumers increasingly demand food that represents more than mere fuel. Many consumers want quality food and they are willing to pay a premium for it. Quality can mean different things to different people. Quality can be measured in terms of health or food safety. It can also be measured in terms of nutritional or cosmetic value. Many consumers are demanding food that is produced in an environmentally friendly or humane way without pesticides, hormones or GMOs.
This trend has been fuelled by recent food scares with which hon members are familiar, that is mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth disease. Besides information on how a product is produced, consumers want to know exactly where a product was produced. Consumers are increasingly looking for authentic or traditional food, food that is wholesome and healthy and often symbolic of a cultural heritage.
From these trends we can see that consumer preferences are changing, especially in the EU, the prime export destination for South African products. These changes present local producers with many opportunities, especially bearing in mind the fierce competition in commodity markets.
For these reasons Western Cape agriculture has identified organic farming and products of origin as avenues for local product differentiation. Both command premium prices, with organic farming having further environmental benefits. Agriculture is at present preparing the institutional framework to enable producers to market these niche products.
Products of origin have spin-offs for rural economies such as tourism and rural development in terms of rural cuisine and crafts. Products of origin also encourage cultural identity and traditions. The agricultural sector is investigating the institutional framework appropriate for the local producer and in terms of future trade.
Elsenburg Landboukollege se reusebydrae tot die poel van landboukundigheid in die provinsie en Suid-Afrika, moet nie gering geskat word nie.
Vanjaar is twee belangrike kursusuitbreidings ingestel, naamlik ‘n spesialiskursus in landbouvoorligtingkunde vir studente in hul derde jaar. Studente met ‘n tweejarige hoër sertifikaat in landbou kan nou in hul derde jaar in landbouvoorligting spesialiseer. Suksesvolle studente sal ‘n nasionaal-erkende diploma in landbouvoorligting verwerf. Dit maak Elsenburg Landboukollege een van die paar instellings vir hoër onderwys wat landbouvoorligting as hoofstudierigting aanbied.
Tweedens word agritoerisme vanjaar vir die eerste keer as vak vir die werwing van die hoër sertifikaat in landbou aangebied. Van aanstaande jaar af sal dié studierigting uitgebrei word tot spesialisvlak in die derde studiejaar. Studente sal ‘n diploma in landbou met agritoerisme as hoofvak kan behaal. Studente word dus toegerus om die opwindende geleentheid wat landbou in die toerismebedryf bied, ten volle te ontgin.
Elsenburg Landboukollege ondersteun die filosofie van lewenslange leer en uitkomsgebaseerde onderwys. Die kollege bied kort kursusse aan sodat landbouers, plaasbestuurders en -werkers op die hoogte kan bly van die nuutste ontwikkeling.
Die afgelope paar jaar konsentreer die kollege op die opleiding van nuwe en opkomende boere. Weens begrotingstekorte het dit lank geneem om hierdie inisiatiewe in die praktyk deur te voer. ‘n Toekenning van R1,2 miljoen vir die 2001-02-boekjaar sal vir dié opleiding aangewend word. Altesaam 524 boere uit agtergeblewe gemeenskappe het verlede jaar ‘n verskeidenheid van 45 kursusse in 10 studierigtings hier voltooi. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.) [Elsenburg Agricultural College’s enormous contribution to the pool of agricultural expertise in the province and in South Africa must not be underestimated.
This year two important course extensions are being introduced, namely a specialist course in agricultural extension training for students in their third year. Students with a two-year higher certificate in agriculture can now specialise in agricultural extension in their third year. Successful students will receive a nationally recognised diploma in agricultural extension. This makes Elsenburg Agricultural College one of the few institutions of higher education which offer agricultural extension as a primary direction of study.
Secondly, this year for the first time agritourism is being offered as a subject for obtaining the higher certificate in agriculture. From next year this direction of study will be extended to the level of specialist in the third year of study. Students will be able to obtain a diploma in agriculture with agritourism as their major subject. Students are therefore being equipped to take full advantage of the exciting opportunity offered by agriculture in the tourism industry. Elsenburg Agricultural College supports the philosophy of lifelong learning and outcomes-based education. The college offers short courses so that farmers, farm managers and farmworkers can stay up to date of the latest developments.
For the past few years the college has been concentrating on the training of new and emerging farmers. Due to budget deficits it has taken a long time to implement these initiatives in practice. An allocation of R1,2 million for the 2001-02 financial year will be utilised for this training. A total of 524 farmers from disadvantaged communities completed a range of 45 courses in ten directions of study here last year.]
It is necessary to correct the imbalances in landownership which exist in South Africa and to empower previously disadvantaged farmers. Land reform should be planned and implemented responsibly, constructively and in good time by all roleplayers in a fashion conducive to local and international investment.
Stable land value is one of the most important factors that will influence business confidence in agriculture. It is deemed necessary to maintain credibility concerning the realistic market and production value of agricultural land.
The concept of willing buyer, willing seller, should be applied. Expropriation should be the last alternative, and then still at realistic market prices.
Die provinsiale Direktoraat Veeartsenydienste was die afgelope jaar baie suksesvol in die beheer van die uitbreek van Afrika perdesiekte, die voorkomende inenting teen hondsdolheid, en die toepassing van die nuwe vereistes teen newcastlesiekte vir die voortgesette uitvoer van volstruise en volstruisprodukte.
Oor die hele wêreld heen is die verbruiker toenemend bewus van dieregesondheid. Maar wat doen ons in die Wes-Kaap om te verseker dat ons mense onbesmette vleis eet? Die Direktoraat Veeartsenydienste monitor alle kommersiële kuddes in kommunale en informele vestigings vir tuberkulose en brucellose. Diere wat positief getoets word, word van kant gemaak.
Ons inspekteer alle volstruiseenhede, en ent voëls in teen newcastlesiekte. Voor slagting behandel ons voëls teen eksterne parasiete soos die bontpootbosluis. By al ons geregistreerde abattoirs word diere voor slagting ondersoek, en alle karkasse en afval word vir wantoestande geïnspekteer. Ons monitor persele vir higiëne en afvalbeheer.
‘n Bek-en-klou-seer werkgroep het ‘n vyfpuntnoodplan vir die provinsie saamgestel. Hierdie noodplan is so saamgestel dat dit ook by uitbreke van zoönotiese siektes aangewend kan word. Op hierdie manier het landbou ‘n amperse ramp omskep in ‘n groot geleentheid vir die provinsie. Met die bek- en-klou-seer krisis nou in Europa, en regoor die wêreld, kan ons sien hoe die siekte met rasse skrede versprei het. Ek dink ons kan nou met groot trots terugkyk, en met die besef dat bek-en-klou-seer suksesvol beheer is in Suid-Afrika, en dat ons amptenare met internasionale kundigheid toegerus is.
Ek wil Minister Didiza en haar amptenare op nasionale vlak bedank vir die puik hantering van hierdie situasie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[During the past year, the provincial Directorate: Veterinary Services has been very successful in controlling the outbreak of African horse sickness, preventative vaccination against rabies, and the implementation of the new requirements against Newcastle disease for the continued exporting of ostriches and ostrich products.
Across the world consumers are increasingly aware of animal health, but what are we doing in the Western Cape to ensure that our people eat uncontaminated meat? The Directorate: Veterinary Services monitors all commercial herds in communal and informal settlements for tuberculosis and brucellosis. Animals which test positive are then destroyed.
We inspect all ostrich units, and vaccinate birds against Newcastle disease. Prior to slaughtering we treat birds against external parasites like the bontlegged tick. At all our registered abattoirs, animals are inspected prior to slaughtering, and all carcasses and offal are inspected for ills. We monitor premises for hygiene and waste control.
A foot-and-mouth disease working group has compiled a five-point emergency plan for the province. This emergency plan has been compiled in such a way that it can also be used for outbreaks of zoonotic diseases. In this way agriculture transformed a near disaster into a great opportunity for the province. With the foot-and-mouth disease crisis in Europe now, and across the world, we can see how the illness has spread with rapid strides. I think we can now look back with great pride, and with the realisation that foot-and-mouth disease has been successfully controlled in South Africa, and that our officials are equipped with international expertise.
I want to thank Minister Didiza and her officials at national level for the excellent handling of this situation.]
Under the leadership of Minister Thoko Didiza and Dirk du Toit, the MECs have become an agricultural team. It is important for agriculture that we learn from one another’s knowledge and experience. We have to look for and apply each province’s successes and steer clear of our failures. In this manner we can prevent each province from reinventing the wheel.
We believe agriculture can produce food and fibres for all the people of South Africa, and also export. In an employment-friendly environment, agriculture can create more jobs than any other sector.
Agriculture can produce prosperity for all the people of South Africa. [Applause.]
The DEPUTY MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND LAND AFFAIRS: Chairman, it is always a pleasure to talk in this grave, dignified and, may I say, sometimes rather austere and disciplined House, coming from the rather rowdy one on the other side. [Applause.]
I want to address two matters which I regard as important. One is a matter of co-operative governance, and the other is about expropriation.
On co-operative governance, I think we can be very thankful in Agriculture and Land Affairs in this country. Our Minister has succeeded in creating one of the best co-operative sectors in this country. However, sometimes it does not work. I want to address one of those instances today, because I think it is a matter of concern. Although we have very good relations with the Western Cape, this concerns the Western Cape. Before I continue, whatever I may say, addressing this matter in a serious way today, we have the intention, and that is the style of my Minister, that the way forward on this matter will be one inspired by the principles of co-operative governance. So we will be going into the negotiating mode in this regard.
The matter is about the Western Cape government’s intention to establish a statutory agricultural development service in the Western Cape. This service will actually take over all the functions and operations of the provincial department for agriculture. This matter has been decided. The last decision of the Western Cape cabinet was on 2 February 2000. They then decided to establish the statutory Western Cape Agricultural Development Service, and that it be implemented on a priority basis.
Firstly, and this is a matter of concern, I do not think this matter has been sufficiently co-ordinated with the national Government, and in actual fact, I had to get the papers myself to be able to establish the facts about this service. One of the principles of co-operative governance is the sharing of information, and talking to one another. It is a question of mutual trust. The Constitution says it is a question of -
… mutual trust and good faith by - fostering friendly relations; … informing one another … co-ordinating their actions and legislation with one another …
This is a matter in which there should have been co-ordination. We intend to establish a basis of co-ordination in this regard. In actual fact, what happens in this proposed action of the province is that this service, which is a public entity and has a separate legal personality, will implement and apply legislation applicable to the agricultural sector in the Western Cape. It will be the implementer of the legislation.
In the Constitution in section 125 it says on a province’s executive authority:
The Premier exercises the executive authority, together with the other members of the Executive Council, by-
(a) implementing provincial legislation in the province;
So he must implement it. The problem which arises is that in terms of international arrangements, for example the SPS agreement, the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement, other governments look only to the national Government for certifying for example, sanitary and phytosanitary matters. For exports, for example, the national Government must look to another body, or to itself, to satisfy those international requirements, for example, veterinary requirements for the export of beef, or for the export of plant products.
We can only do it if there is a politically accountable body that does the certification. If it is not there, if it is a privatised institution, that province runs a grave risk of damaging its export capacity. It is not a thing which is in the interest of the farmers of that province. We should talk about this seriously. Such a province is risking its farmers and exports. We should work in a co-operative fashion, and things like this should be cleared up between national Government and provincial government.
There does exist a rather spurious letter from the National Treasury. Let me inform hon members how it works. In terms of the Public Finance Management Act, there is a section 38(1)(m) which says that the director- general of a province must, before realising the intent to create a public entity, first get the permission of the National Treasury. Section 38(1)(m) reads that the DG -
… must promptly consult and seek the prior written consent of the National Treasury on any new entity which the department or constitutional institution intends to establish or in the establishment of which it took the initiative.
This Act came into operation on 1 April 2000. In actual fact, the Western Cape cabinet took the decision before that, but at this moment in time, it is still an intended institution, and the permission of the National Treasury must be sought.
This spurious letter exists, signed by a person who is not the DDG of the National Treasury. I checked this out with the National Treasury. I do not know what happened there. According to this letter the National Treasury was consulted in February 2001.
The National Treasury, in terms of section 5(1) of the Public Finance Management Act, consists of the Minister and the national department. So, obviously, if the National Treasury must act, it must have the signature of the Minister, and if that permission has not been obtained, the Minister can, in terms of this Act, rescind any possible decisions. Of course, the National Treasury will not give that permission if it does not consult with the national Department of Agriculture, and that is the position of the Treasury as well.
Here we sit with a problem in that we have a Bill on the verge of being introduced. I do not even know if it has been introduced in the Western Cape legislature. The problem with this type of Bill is that there is no developmental perspective in it. I actually get the impression that this Bill, the Western Cape Agriculture Development Service Bill, is a Bill to get all the investment in the agriculture department of the Western Cape and make it available for commercial agriculture in the Western Cape. I do not get a single developmental perspective in this Bill. That is why we have to talk. That is why we have co-operative governance, and that is why we cannot leave it at that. [Interjections.] I do believe that this is an unconstitutional process and that it must be righted.
The next matter I want to talk about is the question of expropriation. Expropriation is causing a lot of emotion, and I will tell hon members why. It is because people in South Africa think of expropriation in terms of the way it used to be exercised in the days of apartheid. I will prove it to hon members because it is not like that at all anymore. I will quote from a judgment of the Appeal Court in 1966: Pretoria City Council v Molimola. I do not believe Molimola was a white farmer. However that may be, this is a judgment by Judge of Appeal Van Blerk who was quite famous in a way. He gave this quite unyielding opinion. Unfortunately the quote is in Afrikaans. This is how expropriation has always been perceived. The judge said the following:
As die owerheid in sy wysheid van oordeel is dat grond vir die doel waarvoor dit benodig word onteien moet word, dan word die eienaar deur die uitoefening van dié reg sy eiendom ontneem deur oormag waarteen hy geen weerstand kan bied nie, en geen saak het om te stel nie, behalwe wat betref aanspraak op vergoeding. Hy is soos een wat getref is deur casus fortuitus. [Interjections.] Ja! [Yes!] [Laughter.]
In fact, the conception was that when one is being expropriated it is as if one is being struck by an apparition from the Book of Revelation, or, to use the term that the Minister used in her speech, being struck by some alien invasive species called the Queen of the Night infestation. [Laughter.]
The Constitution changed all that. We are now living in a civilised, constitutional, democratic country. [Interjections.] Expropriation, as is the case in other countries, is a necessary, just, equitable, progressive and civilised instrument of advanced and enlightened democratic societies and states. I will tell hon members why. If one does not have this, the door for corruption is wide open. Why? If one gets a situation in a country in which the state should not acquire land or assist in the acquisition of land, or if the purchase price of such land is not market-related, the door is open for corruption. There is the famous case in which the American army ordered toilet seats, at the end paying thirty times the normal price for them. That is why we have expropriation. If the state requires land and cannot reach agreement with the owner of the land for the purchase thereof on a voluntary and market-related basis, the land should be expropriated and compensation determined in terms of our legislation, read with our Constitution.
I am of the opinion that the state is permitted to resort to expropriation under these rightful circumstances. But we have a problem in that we have to review our expropriation law in this country. The Expropriation Act we have dates from 1975. There has been intervening legislation. We have a new Constitution, and a new framework for local authorities which is contained in the municipal structures and systems Acts. It is actually at the local authorities and municipalities levels where the bulk of expropriation happens every day. Furthermore, the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act has been promulgated, and this Act should also be worked into a draft Bill.
Why do we need this? If one looks at section 2 of the Expropriation Act, it says that the Minister may - that is the Minister of Public Works - subject to an obligation to pay out compensation, expropriate any property for public purposes. That is where the problem lies. We can only expropriate, in terms of the Expropriation Act, for public purposes. That means one can expropriate, for example, to build a post office, city hall or a railway for public purposes.
However, in the case of Administrator Transvaal v Van Strepen - a Kempton Park matter - it was said that one cannot expropriate in the public interest where property is expropriated from individual A by the state to give to individual B, because that is not expropriation in the public interest. The property is not going to be used for a public purpose. That makes it imperative that we, with utmost haste, get our expropriation legislation up to date. Let me just explain a bit around this. In view of the policies of this Government - reform, redistribution, tenure - in circumstances in which negotiations for the acquisition of land prove to be unsuccessful on realistic terms, we must expropriate land to prevent corruption. We must do that.
Immediately after the interim Constitution came into effect in 1993, revision of the Expropriation Act was conducted in view of the provisions of the interim Constitution. Then a new Bill was drafted by the committee. But this did not proceed much further than that. There was a draft Bill, and there was also a draft amendment to the Expropriation Act of 1975. We still need it, and this is continuing every day - since 1993, since 1994 and since 1996 when the new Constitution came into effect.
Expropriation is continuing, because government in all three spheres must continue to do their functions. Despite the delay, hundreds of expropriations have been undertaken in terms of the old Expropriation Act for the purposes of roads, municipal servitudes and, for example, for the dewatering of the dolomitic components in the Oberholzer area. In that area 30 summonses were issued from a total of 62 expropriations, and in not a single instance was the constitutionality of the Expropriation Act of 1975 challenged. It is a tragedy that no constitutional challenge reached any law report in respect of these hundreds of expropriations. Why? I will tell hon members why.
The reason is fundamentally that our expropriation is based on internationally accepted principles of compensation. We have it in section 12(5) of the present Expropriation Act, which has a long history and has developed from principles originating from Commonwealth countries, especially from England.
All these considerations strike an equitable balance between the interests of society as represented by the state on the one hand and those of the individual who is visited by the compulsory acquisition of his property. We have in fact got an excellent system. All that we have to do is to bring it up to date. It is not a difficult task to bring it in line with the Constitution.
The Constitution says that we can, in terms of the law of general application, expropriate for the public interest. We can do that. In terms of the Constitution we may, but we must just have a law which says that we can do that. I can just promise that this will be done quickly.
One of the problems which we have at the moment is the difficulty that the moment it comes to public knowledge that the state is wanting to expropriate a property or properties, the open market immediately reacts to that fact, which will then be to the disadvantage of the state. Market values may suddenly soar, especially where the administrative procedure becomes a relatively lengthy one. At the moment the valuation amount is assessed as it is at the date of the notice of expropriation. That date of notice of expropriation may be preceded by lengthy negotiations to acquire the property and thereafter a procedure where there must be a hearing of the person affected, and the market will react to that.
What is needed is the thing which they have in America. I will stop with that because I think my time has run out. I want to thank the members of this House for their patience. What they do in America is they give what they call a notice to treat at the moment that there is an indication that one wants to expropriate. In that way the value of property is fixed at the beginning of the whole process and not allowed to escalate the moment it becomes known that the expropriation is happening.
I think a review of the Expropriation Act is urgently necessary. Drafts are available and it must just be brought into line with the new Constitution. We are hoping that we can finish this process in a reasonable time. [Applause.]
Chief M L MOKOENA: Chairperson, let me first respond to my colleague who happens to be my friend and doctor, Dr Conroy, who said that the right of owner had to be respected. The only question is: Which owner is he referring to? The original owner or the current legal owner?
How true it is that the only way to get to the top is to get off your bottom. The word ``delivery’’ can easily be associated with the Departments of Agriculture and Land Affairs. In last year’s budget debate, we made certain proposals. We aired some concerns. We pointed out some of the shortcomings in the departments. It is pleasing to note that the departments responded positively and practically.
I want to thank the hon the Minister and her legal wizard for finally appointing regional land claims commissioners for Mpumalanga and the Northern Province. We are now convinced that land restitution and restoration will be accelerated. The only appeal we can make is that the two commissioners should operate from both provinces and not from Gauteng or Pretoria. That would make them acceptable to the people they will be serving.
On 8 December 2000 the Chief Land Claims Commissioner, Adv Mgoqi, who was acting as regional land claims commissioner for the Northern Province and Mpumalanga, met all stakeholders in Bushbuckridge. It was so surprising that the commissioner could really come down to Bushbuckridge. We were used to the practice that if one wanted to see a commissioner, one should drive to Pretoria. It was such a nice feeling. Here was a man who was prepared to sacrifice his time and energy to better the lives of our people.
To prove this in the few months in which he was acting as regional land claims commissioner, he managed to settle more claims than his predecessor. In that spirit, the secret of success is to be like a duck - smooth and unruffled on top, but paddling furiously underneath the water. Yes, history remembers us not by our looks, but by the work that we have done.
During last year’s budget review debate, I informed the Minister about a very sensitive matter concerning the farms in Nyaka and Waterval near Bushbuckridge. We had more or less five claimants lodging claims to the same farms. What surprises one is that one claimant is busy settling people on those farms. The question is: Who gave him permission to settle people, while other claimants are still waiting for a formal response from the department or the commission? I posed the same question to the director- general and his officials when they were briefing the committee on 28 March
- If this matter is not addressed speedily, I will smell a rat. The question of land is more serious than war. Hopefully, I will not need to ask the same question again next year.
One other concern raised by communities is why it is so difficult for the Government to the dispose of state land.
Communities in Sekhukhuneland are packed, squeezed and so congested because of forced removal, for example the Ramaube community, the Rammupudu community in Tafelkop, the famous Dinkoanyana community in Leboweng and the Molete community in Acorn Hoek. These are but a few examples of communities that were forcibly removed from their original places to where they are now. Living conditions in these areas are just unbearable. How is the department planning to remedy this situation? I know the hon the Minister will not disappoint me. We should just sit and listen and then we will hear her warm response. What a wonderful Minister she is. [Interjections.]
What does this budget mean to the rural people in the Northern Province? How are they going to benefit from this budget?
On 1 March 2001 the committee visited the Umzimkhulu feed lot at Ebutha farm. This is one project which needs to be supported. Is there any plan by the department to rescue this project so as to achieve its intended objectives?
I am not biased, but it is a fact that Bushbuckridge is one of the areas in the Northern Province where few cases of foot-and-mouth disease reared their ugly head.
I would like to thank the Minister and the department for acting swiftly to avoid the spread of this disease. I would also like to thank all stakeholders in that region for co-operating with the department. The only unfortunate thing is that some stakeholders, like magosi and some NGOs, are not assisted financially when attending these meetings with the department, which are held every week from Monday to Friday. I hope the department will do something about this.
Le a tseba gore tsie e fofa ka moswang. Mmetla sapo la tlala o betla a lebile ga gabo. Tlala ga e na nkgwete. [Everything has a source of inspiration. Charity begins at home. There is no grave caused by hunger.]
There is a belief by some cattle owners, right or wrong, that meat from these affected animals can be edible. They go on to say that the disease is not new in South Africa and, in days gone by, they had a way of dealing with it, other than slaughtering these animals. Can the wonderful and honourable Minister confirm or deny these facts?
Another concern is the amount of money paid to these owners, after their cattle are slaughtered. They are querying the criterion used in determining the amounts they are paid.
Can I also find out from the hon the Minister why the supply of dipping medicines has been discontinued? Cattle owners are now expected to buy their own medicine. Departmental officials, when questioned, say that that was a directive from above. The only problem with this new arrangement is that during the annual stocktaking, they are made to pay for the same service.
Here is this outstanding leader who always appeals to the hearts of her followers, not their minds. She never sets herself above her followers, except in carrying responsibility. She is so understanding, humble but decisive, forthright and articulate. She is not like those leaders who will demand concessions as a condition of friendship, but she is that kind of leader who is able to separate the people from the problem.
These accolades were specifically reserved for none other than my Minister. Well done, Minister, we support your Vote. [Applause.]
Mev A M VERSFELD: Voorsitter, in ‘n onlangse verslag van die Wêreldbank word Suid-Afrika as ‘n waterskaarsland bestempel. Na aanleiding van die bevolkingsaanwas sê die bank in sy vooruitskatting Suid-Afrika sal binne twee dekades in ‘n waterarmland verander.
Die verslag stel dit ook duidelik dat Suid-Afrika dan in ‘n staat van permanente droogte sal verkeer. As ‘n mens in ag neem dat slegs 3% van al die water in die wêreld vars water is, is dit ‘n somber prentjie wat ons verplig om reeds vroegtydig navorsing te doen en met alternatiewe gewasse te eksperimenteer.
In die Wes-Kaap is ‘n groep sakemanne met vernuwende denke onder die naam Ecoindustry International Pty Ltd, in samewerking met die ministerie van landbou en Elsenburg, tans besig om so ‘n projek te ondersoek en te evalueer. In Suid-Afrika was die eerste stap ‘n proefplaas aan die weskus by Velddrif. ‘n Boer was bereid om 3 000 hektaar vir dié projek beskikbaar te stel.
Kleinboere vorm deel van die projek en, terwyl ek van kleinboere praat, wil ek net vir die adjunkminister sê ek dink daar is êrens ‘n misverstand oor die landelike ontwikkelingsdiens van die Wes-Kaap want die opleiding, die voorlegging en die hulp aan nuwe boere is vir ons minister in die Wes-Kaap so belangrik dat hy dit self gaan doen. Dit gaan nie deur die landelike ontwikkelingsdiens gedoen word nie. [Tussenwerpsels.]
Ek wil terugkeer na die onderwerp. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mrs A M VERSFELD: Chairperson, a recent report of the World Bank characterised South Africa as a country which has a shortage of water. The bank states in its forecast that, due to the population growth, South Africa will within two decades be transformed into an arid country.
The report also clearly states that South Africa will then be permanently drought-stricken. If one takes into consideration that only 3% of all the water in the world is fresh water, this is a sombre picture which compels us to timeously conduct research and experiment with alternative crops.
In the Western Cape a group of businessmen with innovative ideas operating as Ecoindustry International Pty Ltd, are currently studying and evaluating such a project, in co-operation with the ministry of agriculture and Elsenburg. In South Africa the first step was an experimental farm along the Western Coast at Velddrif. A farmer has made 3 000 hectares available for this project.
Small farmers form part of the project and, while I am talking about small farmers, I just want to tell the Deputy Minister that I think there is a misunderstanding somewhere concerning the rural development service of the Western Cape, because the training, submission and assistance to new farmers are so important to our minister in the Western Cape, that he will be doing it himself. This will not be done by the rural development service. [Interjections.]
I want to return to the topic.]
Agriculture, as an endeavour, lends itself to innovation, and therefore we should focus on exploiting underproductive, underutilised and novel natural resources, which include waste land, waste water, brackish water and seawater, to produce crops which have potential for significant value-added processes and products.
The investment in farming Salicornia, Belobi, wild beet and fodder represents such an opportunity, since the entire harvest is used in generating both the primary export product and a number of value-added by- products, resulting in extremely high yield harvests.
Miskien kan ek net kortliks vir agb lede sê Salicornia kan geëet word. [Perhaps I should just briefly tell hon members that Salicornia can be eaten.] The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Hon member, you are far from the mike.
Mev A M VERSFELD: Dankie, Voorsitter.
Salicornia is ‘n produk wat soos ‘n aspersie gebruik word. Die boonste gedeelte kan geëet of uitgevoer word, die res van die Salicornia se steel kan uitgepers word vir huishoudelike gebruik en die vesel van die steel kan ook gebruik word as voedingsblokke vir diere. Dit word twee keer per jaar, in ‘n siklus van 16 maande, geoes. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mrs A M VERSFELD: Thank you, Chairperson.
Salicornia is a product which is utilised like asparagus. The top part can be eaten or exported, the rest of the stem of the Salicornia can be expressed for household use and the fibre of the stem can also be used as feeding blocks for animals. It is harvested twice a year, in a cycle of 16 months.]
This farming activity is a viable alternative to any other agricultural commodity in this country. The integration of land-based agriculture, using seawater, and mariculture, using species such as telapia, because it is very easy and fast- growing, and shrimp, is even a viable alternative to our poverty-ridden fishing communities. [Interjections.] Yes, fishing.
Technology intended to introduce this alternative agriculture is sourced from the USA and the germplasm is a costly initial input. Perhaps this is where co-operative government comes. It is of importance to note that the plant material is not genetically engineered, but that these salt-resistant strains have been developed by a selective propagation of an already naturally salt-tolerant plant species.
The experience in places where these plant species have been cultivated indicates that three permanent jobs are created for every 10 hectares. Areas such as Mexico, Saudi Arabia, India and Eritrea are some of the places where saltwater farming is fully commercialised. I realise that it is quite expensive, but we can look into it.
Two members of this company, Ecoindustry International, attended the international symposium on prospects of saline agriculture in the GCC countries, held in Dubai from 18 March to 20 March, in 2001. It is important to note that this symposium was held under the patronage of, amongst others, the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas.
The recommendations from this symposium, I think, could be extremely valuable to our country, for example establishing an effective network on saline agriculture to share information, data and models. The International Centre for Bio-saline Agriculture will spearhead this network.
I will just read two or three of these recommendations: convening an international conference on saline agriculture every two years; an expert group on saline agriculture to be formed; very importantly for our country, efforts to be intensified towards capacity-building in relevant countries and institutions which emphasise development of national manpower, and new technologies to be utilised in developing salt-tolerant plants and saline water.
The Deputy Minister talked about co-operative government, and I would like to say that the Deputy Minister must put his money where his mouth is. I trust that the Minister will, in this province, give us all the necessary help for this first saline agricultural project in the Western Cape and in South Africa. [Applause.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Let me take this opportunity to recognise the presence of the Leader of the Official Opposition in our Parliament, Mr Tony Leon. You are welcome, sir. [Applause.]
Mr A T METELE (Eastern Cape): Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, and hon members, let me greet all in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen.
HON MEMBERS: Hallelujah!
Mr A T METELE: The Eastern Cape department of agriculture and land affairs is committed to rendering essential agricultural support services in order to promote rapid economic growth and food security, and to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of the people of the province.
While the strategic objectives and the mandate of the department has not changed, following the budget indibano [meeting], the department will concentrate on food security and providing an economic base for integrated rural development during the years 2001-04. Existing programmes will be refocused to realise this new emphasis.
Regarding the vision of our department, we need a dynamic agricultural support service provider that stimulates catalysis and promotes rapid and sustainable agricultural growth and economic development within the framework of resource, conservation and equitable land administration.
Our mission is to facilitate and co-ordinate optimal agricultural production and sustainable development in order to ensure food security and an improved quality of life for the people of the province through, firstly, appropriate agricultural development and support programmes; secondly, client participation and empowerment; thirdly, agricultural resource development, management and conservation; fourthly, formulation and administration of appropriate policy and legislation; and fifthly, effective and efficient administration and leadership.
Our strategic objectives are as follows: to promote sustainable utilisation of natural resources; to encourage increased food and fibre production, thus contributing towards food security; to stimulate increased economic activity from agriculture; and to provide enabling legislation.
These objectives are located within the provincial growth and development policy objectives and continue to inspire us in the strategies we are taking. They provide an exceptionally good basis for tackling rural poverty in a sustainable manner, providing an economic base for rural development and contributing towards the availability and distribution of food within the province. The department’s programmes and projects have been adjusted to align themselves with the national and provincial priorities.
The promotion of sustainable utilisation of national resources is an objectives which will be met through land use planning and which is intended for the sustainable use of natural resources. A Land administration Bill is in the process of being developed, so as to enforce this prerequisite. This Bill will enable the department to manage rural agricultural state land in terms of the demarcation, allocation and utilisation of land.
Coupled with the land administration Bill, there is an ongoing land care programme which is supported by the national Department of Agriculture. It includes soil preparation, rotational cropping, soil management, maximisation of water retention capacity, and the prevention of water and wind erosion.
The objective of encouraging increased food and fibre production will be achieved through the promotion of biological productivity of both crops and livestock farming units. Here reference is made to the appropriateness of our technological innovations. Appropriate technological innovations in crop farming entail the use of high-yielding seed varieties, affordable and properly packaged fertilisers, whether organic or inorganic, sound cultivation and proper management practices.
In livestock farming, technological innovations entail livestock improvement. Key to this is the improvement of the genetic pool of our herd. Comparatively, the commercial sector inspires us through the quality of animals they produce and the use of correct stocking rates which are in harmony with the carrying capacity of their grazing land. This has unfortunately not been applicable in communal grazing areas, where there are no camps in which to practise rotational grazing, resting management practices and controlled breeding.
Regarding the stimulation of increased economic activity, the department is currently implementing a meat production and marketing strategy which seeks to create space for the participation of communal farmers in the marketing of livestock. Although the largest portion of the livestock population in the province is in the hands of the communal farmers, their access to the markets is very limited. In order to redress the situation holding farms, which would be managed by farmers themselves, have been identified in all district council areas. Negotiations are at an advanced stage for the acquisition of the Abacor.
For crop-producti on farmers, farmers’ markets and agroprocessing plants have been planned. This is going to help farmers to add value to their produce and increase the storability of crops, thereby increasing economic returns for farmers.
I am now going to address the question of scientific use of agricultural potential. In order to promote the sustainable use of natural resources, account of the environment has been taken. Sustainable development is about meeting the needs of the present population without compromising the needs of future generations.
The agroeconomical zones will create the parameters within which each zone can be planned and will determine the nature of the farming system. The department will introduce a Bill on land use planning at the legislature during this year’s session. [Applause.]
Rev M CHABAKU: Chairperson, hon Ministers present, hon members of the House, special delegates, I greet everybody and thank them for their presence during this lenten season of the Christian year.
The Free State province is gravely disturbed at the continued violence that is adversely affecting the farming community and the province as a whole. It continues to polarise the Free State on racial lines. The reaction to such violence has strengthened plausible but baseless rumours and suppositions that there are people from Johannesburg who have been paid to murder farmers in the Free State. These rumours have been vehemently denied by police Superintendent Steven Hugo of the Welkom police station. He stated, and I quote:
We fully investigated the claims and could not find any confirmation. That information is as old as the hills.
Superintendent Charmaine Muller emphatically stated that the farmers’ unions have been unable to substantiate the claims. She added that reports of a video training cassette demonstrating how to carry out a farm killing were also baseless.
This does not negate the fact that there are murders on the farms in the Free State and in other provinces too. These murder crimes widen the gap between white farmers and farmworkers, who are indigenous Africans. Statistics abound on murders of white farmers, but none are available on murders of African farmers and farmworkers who are often beaten, exploited, dehumanised, murdered and illegally evicted.
This past Friday, near Ficksburg in the Free State, a farmer named André Swanepoel of Spitskop Farm allegedly personally recruited farmworkers from as far as the Eastern Cape for his cucumber farm.
He allegedly pointed a gun at his workers when they demanded their three months’ pay. The local police feared him and hesitated to visit his farm because he is allegedly notorious for his shooting sprees.
Workers are illegally evicted and dumped outside the farms in complete disregard for their human plight, for the laws of the country and without even a semblance of conscience.
A visit any day to the Ficksburg location, known as Meqeleng, will show night soil buckets at gate entrances being picked up in broad daylight. The toilet huts were built at gate entrances and drinking water taps were installed next to the toilets. What a humiliation! In the land of our birth, for that matter!
Whenever a white farmer is murdered, hundreds of farmers gather to vent their anger, as if African workers do not feel the same. But when an African farmer is ill-treated or murdered, such gatherings do not take place, even though farm-owners and farmworkers depend on each other for survival.
While we may not have the answers to these serious problems, it is very clear that these hurts and pains are caused by racism, poverty, greed and heartlessness, to name a few.
For decades, long before the word ``apartheid’’ was bandied about, Africans were made landless, voiceless and leaderless, but not powerless. Many white farmers were assisted in purchasing land and selling their produce through loans and subsidies that were made available to them. Some inherited the land from one generation to the next. Africans were denied, and often dehumanised, while seen and treated often as sources of crude labour. They were forced to accept Christianity as their faith. The oppressors loved God, but not God’s people, who were Africans. How could they know heavenly things when they did not know earthly things, as the Lord said?
Those whites who showed compassion often had to show it stealthily to avoid the wrath of their compatriots. The examples of inhumanity are numerous, as are those of whites who also suffered for justice.
We are encouraged to heal the land by men, women and youth who now boldly condemn and reject racism and violence. There are white farmers in the Free State who were seen in the public media when they were visited by human rights commissoners during Human Rights Week. These farmers, who have changed their hearts and minds, have built new, strong and beautiful classrooms on their land for the children of farmworkers in their own neighbourhood. They showed Hou-aan School, towards Bultfontein. Other schools were near Harrismith, Warden and Mooihoek.
These families give us great joy and encouragement for sharing whatever God has given them so that others too may have life abundantly. They acknowledge the diversity and celebrate it rather than letting it divide us. Men and women of all backgrounds are banding together against these murderers, whose deeds hurt all Free Staters of all races.
Many of the murders are committed by non-Free Staters, just as many highway traffic accidents are caused by non-Free Staters driving through our centrally placed province, which is the navel, mokgubo, of our motherland.
A growing number of firms, industries, schools, colleges and universities, as well as NGOs, are extending hands of help, particularly to the small African farmers, by making priorities and strategies for developing resources for poor and small farmers in the Free State.
The agricultural production of the small farmer can be turned around to deal with the poverty, economy and food security of the country. This is happening in many countries. Right now the agricultural products of the small farmer are estimated at 10%, while those of commercial farmers are 80%, of the state’s output.
We can learn from other parts of Africa. For example, the paper of the Free State MEC for agriculture that was read in the Free State legislature on 16 March 2001 cited the following examples: that smallholder farmers in Kenya produce 75% of the milk, in Uganda farm 90% of the cattle, in Zimbabwe have the largest gross domestic product multiplier, and in Mozambique farm 87% of the cattle. Ethiopian small farmers produce 90% of that country’s agricultural produce.
We could do the same in the Free State and the whole country. Our beloved Premier, Ms Winkie Direko, at the African Century celebration in Bloemfontein on 16 February 2001, gave us a bold challenge as a province when she said:
There is only one way to rid our province of crime, and that is: Every man, woman and child will make a stand and blow the whistle against corruption, violence against farmers, farmworkers and their families and against violence that is perpetrated against helpless elderly people, men and women.
She said: ``The African Renaissance does not only pertain to the black people.’’ If one is in Africa, one is an African. One has felt the African sun and rain on one’s back. One has embraced Africa, and the African soul pulsates in one’s heart. One has seen her poblems and offered oneself for their solutions. If one is this person, then one should stand up and be counted regardless of one’s colour, creed, religion or social standing.
I beg the hon the Minister to focus without delay on farmworkers who are so ravaged by HIV/Aids epidemic that there is now an acute shortage of farm hands because the disease is right on the farms, where poor people are dying in greater numbers than in the cities, where people have information, guidance and resources. These people on the farms are infected and affected.
In conclusion, I challenge those involved and beg them to admit that they have been part of the problem by being racist, prejudiced, selfish, greedy and bitter, no matter what reasons they may have for these attitudes. There is enough in this world for every human greed, but there is not enough for every human breed. And that is the problem.
All the rules and regulations will be less effective unless people’s hearts and minds are changed, and that change is made right away. Let us turn enemies into friends. Let us condemn violence and expose criminals. We need each other so that we can finally be a fear-free, greed-free, hate-free people in the Free State and in our motherland. We are in the NCOP because we care; we share and dare stand up for what is worthwhile. May we have a meaningful Easter. Pray for our leadership. We support the Vote. God bless you all. Haak Vrystaat! [Go, Free State!] [Applause.]
Ms M E METCALFE (Gauteng): Madam Chair, hon Minister Didiza, Deputy Minister Du Toit, my colleague Mr Van Rensburg, all members of the agricultural team, as well as members of the House and special delegates, I want to thank the Minister for the very excellent report she gave today on the work of the deparments, what has been achieved as well as the very insightful and strategic overview of the work which lies ahead. In particular, I want to join with many other members in today’s sitting who have congratulated the Minister on progress with land restitution. In Gauteng there are many communities that are still celebrating the work of the land claims commission.
We also want to thank her for the emphasis that she has placed on the steps that are necessary to achieve the equitable redistribution and distribution of land, as well as an equitable distribution of agricultural resources. Both of these are fundamental to the implementation of our Constitution.
In terms of looking ahead, we want to thank her for those initiatives which are going to assist, in particular, the ongoing work of land restitution, and I look forward to working with the land claims commission on Evaton in particular, a community where the demands of dealing with unresolved land claims are a burning issue.
Very important work is being done in terms of economic development and she is taking steps to further develop a strong commercial agricultural sector with increasing participation by black people, particularly women. We look forward to working with the department on the implementation of the integrated programme for land redistribution and agricultural development and to benefiting from all the work she has reported on regarding trade initiatives.
The last issue to note, and to thank her for, is the work that has been done on sustainable usage of our agricultural resources.
What I want to do today is to focus on our appreciation of the ways in which the vision of the Ministry for Agriculture and Land Affairs will assist us in Gauteng in dealing with one of the most marginalised groups in our province, and that is the rural poor.
I think that many members of this House might have a perception of Gauteng that is dominated by the vision of a very highly urbanised province which is very commercially orientated and very industrialised. There is probably a visual image not only of the Hillbrow Tower and the skyline of Johannesburg, but also of the mining dumps, the mining camp of Gauteng.
But, in fact, the reality is that in terms of its land, much more than half of Gauteng is rural and periurban. We are, indeed, a very successful agricultural province. About 7% of the gross national farming income is generated by Gauteng on only 1,4% of the land. We have competitive advantages which assist us with this very high level of productivity.
We also have an estimated 50 000 farmworkers in Gauteng. We are running very effective programmes for the settlement of our farmers. We already have over 260 farmers who have been settled on state land and are, on a leasehold basis, moving to acquire that land. What might also surprise the farmers from more rural parts of the country is that we have as many as 819 households that are benefiting from urban agriculture in townships with our household food security programme.
But I want to return to the question of the deep and disempowering poverty of people living in the rural and peri-urban areas of Gauteng. The chairperson of the selected committee, Rev Moatshe, has already spoken about the very deep impacts of the historic dispossession of people in this country from land. This dispossession is the single most important factor contributing to the levels of poverty and the levels of social fabric distortion in those rural areas.
In my work, over weekends and in our daily work, I frequently deal with people living and working in rural areas. When one engages with those communities there is a list of issues which one hears across the length and the breadth of the rural areas of Gauteng. The first is that, despite the legislation that we have passed, there is terrible hardship that continues to be experienced on the basis of illegal evictions. People living in rural areas have no alternative place to go to when they are illegally evicted. They have long ago lost contact with their extended families. They are often completely destitute and, in their poverty, have absolutely nowhere to go.
I am continually shocked at the serious abuses that continue to be practised in rural areas in terms of our labour relations. The Basic Conditions of Employment Act seems to be completely ignored. Other members have spoken about the frequency of physical assault and the way in which the whole concept of developing a working, productive and constructive relationship between an employer and an employee, which is the basis of our labour legislation, seems to be completely ignored and not understood at all. Underlying the abuses that happen in terms of labour and illegal evictions is the fundamental undermining of the constitutional rights of people to freedom of movement and to family life.
Another issue of concern, which I know the Minister is working very hard at in response to the request of our President, is the reality of the inaccessibility of Government services in rural areas. Because people are isolated, because of the distances that they need to travel to even get hold of a telephone to contact the Department of Labour, because they have such limited access even to information about whom to phone when there is a problem, many of these communities and individuals and families within communities are, in fact, in despair and isolated in a very lonely way.
Of course, we need to remember that issues of the exploitation of women, in particular, underlie all of these problems deeply, that it is women and children and the disabled who suffer the most from many of these injustices. What we must do, working together with the Departments of Agriculture and Land Affairs and with all the relevant stakeholders, is to take heed of what the Deputy Minister said today, that we cannot allow the people of South Africa to live outside of the reach of the civilised democratic country that he spoke about.
We have to work, as we do, very effectively with the provincial office of the national Department of Land Affairs to ensure that the Extension of Security of Tenure Act is, indeed, implemented. But I think that whilst there is ongoing legal work in revising and strengthening the Extension of Security of Tenure Act, we must remember that it is a very important piece of legislation. When it was passed in 1997, the ethos of that Ac t captured the very spirit of co-operation and working together that was part of our constitutional dispensation, when the oppressed and the oppressor came together to work out a just and equitable solution which was conclusive and which would build democracy in this country.
We must remember that the preamble to our Constitution calls on all of us to recognise the injustices of the past, and to recognise that the land belongs to all who live in it, and that we have, collectively, an obligation to heal the divisions of the past and establish a society which is based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights. This must be the reality in the rural areas. We cannot have vast areas of our country living outside these basic principles of the Constitution.
The Extension of Security of Tenure Act takes forward the position where in all of the solutions to the problems that exist in terms of insecurity of tenure, the solutions lie in co-operative relationships between owners and occupiers. The Extension of Security of Tenure Act stresses that there must be a balance between the interests and the rights of both owners and occupiers. The way in which we must take forward the Extension of Security of Tenure Act is to, firstly, be able to understand that what the Act says about the rights of farmworkers is that one does not, when one moves into the rural areas and lives on private land owned by somebody else, lose one’s basic citizenship. One has the right to receive visitors; one has the right not to be denied access to water; one has the right to maintain one’s family; one has the right to be visited by one’s wife.
We understand that the Extension of Security of Tenure Act requires that the owners and occupiers together agree on reasonable conditions for such visits, but this is not happening. And we understand that the hostile behaviour towards visiting rights and the unwillingness to agree on reasonable periods is behaviour that is fuelled by anxiety. However, we also need to remember the words of our Constitution and to know that the solution is not to laager but to build a network of positive relationships with communities. The solution is to build families within rural communities, to build a social fabric, and then we may start enjoying the reality of having peace with justice. We all know that we cannot enjoy justice where there is no peace. We also will be working very closely with the Minister’s department on some of the positive obligations of the state in terms of the Extention of Security of Tenure Act. We will work with the Minister in facilitating on- site … [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Mr K D S DURR: Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, colleagues, may I say just how much I value the speech of my colleague who spoke earlier, as well as Rev Chabaku’s. I think that if we approach life in South Africa the way these people do, then there is great hope for our country and also for agriculture.
I also welcome the tenor of the Minister’s speech. I also thought it was an outstanding speech and enjoyed it very much. I think, however, that we have to define the problems of our country well. Churchill said: ``A problem well-defined is a problem half-solved.’’
We have the impression that some of our commercial farmers are so very well off. Well, they are not. South African farmers operate in one of the toughest environments in the world. We are far from our markets, our soil is only an average of 45 cm deep, our rainfall is erratic, we are subject to bouts of droughts and flooding, input costs are high, diseases are many, we suffer from security and stock-thieving problems, etc.
A farmer in Australia or the US has few of these problems. I visited a farm in Australia. I studied in Australia, and I used to go with a farmer when he flew to his farm of 30, 40, 50 hectares. He visited it twice a year by aeroplane. There would be nobody there at all. He would round up the cattle or sheep once or twice a year, and that would be that. No innoculation, no diseases, no nothing. No stock thieving, no problems of any kind.
Our farmers are operating under very difficult circumstances and they are doing extremely well. Unlike other farmers in competing countries, our agriculturists receive very little help from Government. The Minister from the Western Cape mentioned that. That we remain a significant player is a remarkable story, and it is a tribute to our whole industry, all of the people that work in the industry and all of its elements.
However, something will have to be done if we are not to lose this major asset in our socioeconomic life. I had three friends who went abroad recently. This is wrong and I tried to discourage them. There are lots of South African farmers farming in Western Australia. There are South African farmers that have left this country and are now in Queensland and in Florida, and they are doing extremely well. I often hear of another farmer going. We really have to do those things that would make that kind of action unnecessary.
I want to mention only one problem to the Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs, and that is the trend of subdividing often poor agricultural land. It is something which really concerns me. This is because, certainly in the commercial farming sector, one has economic units. What we are seeing now are speculators taking poor agricultural land, cutting it up into two- hectare and 10-hectare lots, and selling it on the grounds that this is for the formerly disadvantaged groups or for scientific farming. It is none of those things. It is just an attempt to make a fast buck out of land which was uneconomical in the first place, and to make some more money out of the land.
Those subdivisions then lie there, they become infested with alien vegetation, they become rural slums and are useless. They erode, whereas they should have been consolidated into other, better agricultural units.
What worries me further is that I understand that the control of the subdivision of land and land zoning is soon, possibly, to pass to local authorities. The Minister might be able to elucidate on this. They will then have the right to subdivide and to rezone, or to alter the use of land. I understand that this process is quite far advanced. I would say that it would be extremely unwise if we were to allow that to happen.
It is absolutely vital that the Minister’s department, and those departments with concurrent competence in the provinces, retain a strong say in determining land use, particularly the change of land use of agricultural land. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Hon members, I have an announcement to make, because I see people are starting to move out. After the sitting we are all invited, that is the House and the members in the gallery, to the restaurant downstairs in the Marks Building.
Nksz B N DLULANE: Mhlalingaphambili, mandibulise kuMphathiswa, kuSekela- mphathiswa nakwisebe ngokubanzi. Ndithi makhe ndixhamle nam kule mini inkulu kangaka. Ndinexhala xa lo ungaphaya kwam, umhlekazi uDurr, ekhankanya umzekelo weAustralia kule Ndlu. Singoobani na thina bantu be- ANC? Sisuka ebugxwayibeni, kwaye sisalwa nenkuntyula yetyala awasishiyela lona amaNashinali. Ndiqinisekile ukuba uvile uMphathiswa.
Emva kokuba urhulumente wamaNashinali wathabathela kuye ulawulo ngonyaka ka- 1948, waqulunqa inkqubo yokuguzula abanxusi watshintsha ngolunya nemithetho eyayikhusela amalungelo abasebenzi esebenzisa umthetho owaphunyezwa ngonyaka ka-1936. Amalinge okutshayela abanxusi kwiifama zabamhlophe nasezidolophini asekwa kumthetho owawudala ubutyala kubanxusi kwiifama zabamhlophe nasezidolophini, iPrevention of Illegal Squatting Act of 1951. (Translation of Xhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Mrs B N DLULANE: Chairperson, I would like to greet the Minister, his Deputy and the department in general. I would also like to taake this opportunity on this great day. I am a little bit worried though when Mr Durr, who is seated over there, cites an example of Australia in this House. Who are we people of the ANC? We come from very difficult times and we are still struggling to pay debts that we inherited from the Nationalists. I am sure that the Minister heard that.
When the Nationalist government came into power in 1948, they promulgated the Prevention of Illegal Squatting Act and changed the laws that protected workers’ rights in 1936. Attempts to evict squatters from white farms and urban areas were based on a law that made it an offence for squatters to be on white farms in the towns, the Prevention of Illegal Squatting Act of 1951.]
Lo mthetho wawugunyazisa amafama amhlophe kunye namabhunga oomasipala ukuba bagxothe abahlali basezifama ngolunya. Ukuqinisekisa ukuba lo mthetho wawusebenza, kwaqulunqwa umthetho obizwa ngokuba yi-Bantu Laws Amendment Act ngo-1964 owawugunyazisa ukukhutshwa ngokungenalusini kwabahlali basezifama kunye nabahlali beendawo ezazisenomtsalane kwabamhlophe … [This law gave white farmers and municipalities authority to drive away people who lived on the farms. To ensure that this law worked, the Bantu Laws Amendment Act of 1964 was passed.]
Ukususela kunyaka ka-1960, endazalwa ngawo, ukuya kunyaka ka-1983, izigidi zabantu abamnyama zasuswa emakhayeni azo aza anikwa amafama amhlophe. Ndiyayazi ke loo nto kuba ndiyixelelwe kwa-ANC. Ndiyazi nokuba bafika basidudula basisa kwiinkqantosi zomhlaba ukwenzela ukuba bahlale kumhlaba owawufumile unenqatha.
Isiqingatha sesigidi sabantu sasuswa kwezo ndawo zazinomtsalane sisuswa ngamafama ngokwawo kunye namabhunga eedolophu ngetshova. Ekubeni urhulumente wamaNashinali ezifezekisile iimfuno zakhe, wathi wayitshabalalisa loo mithetho esebenzisa umthetho obizwa ngokuba yi- Abolition of Influx Control Act, umthetho ongunombolo 68 ka-1986, esenzela ukuba angabonakali engurhulumente woontamolukhuni kwamanye amazwe. Babehlutha, kuba besahlutha nangoku.
Phaya eMpuma Koloni, kwa-ANC, apho ndisuka khona, siye sagunyazisa inkqubo ebandakanya idyunivesiti kunye neDohne Agricultural Development Institute yethu. Le nkqubo iye yabhentsisa ukuba kwezolimo, iphondo leMpuma Koloni livelisa ama-30 eepesenti ngaphantsi koko belinokukuvelisa. Ama-70 eepesenti emveliso kukutya nemveliso evela ngaphandle, ziinto ezo ebelinokuzivelisa ngokwalo eli phondo. Umzekelo, ngoku siyazi ukuba sivelisa isiqingatha kwimveliso yombona kunokuba besinakho. Ihekthare inye ingavelisa iitoni ezine kumhlaba olulwalwa onemvula eninzi. Umzi onamalungu asithoba ungenelwa ziitoni ezimbini zombona ngonyaka.
Ukuba singandisa imveliso yethu, lo mzi unganokutya okuphindwe kabini kunokuba njalo. Loo nto ingenza ukuba nathi sibe nakho ukuthumela kwamanye amaphondo nakwezinye iindawo, nto leyo engaphuhlisa uqoqosho kweli phondo. Kuphela kwecebo elilelinye esinalo, singadanga sibonele kwiAustralia esingenakukhawuleza sifike kwinqanaba layo.
Le nkqubo ingayimpumelelo kuphela xa uRhulumente wesininzi enokwandisa ulwabiwo-mali kweli phondo. Akunakunceda ukuba neengcamango kodwa zingafezekiswa. Siyazi ukuba uRhulumente akathathi ntweni, usalwa nenkuntyula yetyala esashiywa nalo.
Uninzi lwabantu basezilalini lwayanyaniswa nezolimo. Kodwa ngenxa yobunzima, ukunqongophala kwezibonelelo, ukunqaba kwamathuba emisebenzi nokunqaba kophuhliso kunye neenkxwaleko ezidalwa kukungabumbani kwabezolimo, amafama akakwazi ukuqhubela phambili. Esi simo sibangwa nalulwabiwo-mali olungakwaziyo ukubonelela zonke iimfuno zamafama. Le mbali yokuthatyathwa kwemihlaba ngolunya ngabamhlophe beli, ishiye ingxaki enkulu efuna ukuqwalaselwa ngamandla.
Makungabonakali nje umthetho umiselwa, koko makubonakale ugunyaziswa; ukwenzela ukuba kuvele amathuba kwabo bangenamhlaba. (Translation of Xhosa paragraphs follows.)
[From 1960, the year in which I was born, to 1983 millions of black people were forcefully removed from their homes, which in turn were given to white farmers. I came to know about that from the ANC, and also that they drove us to barren places while they reserved fertile land for themselves.
Farmers, together with their municipalities, forcefully removed half a million people from such interesting places. When the Nationalist government had accomplished their mission with all their needs attended to, they abolished those laws by passing the Abolition of Influx Control Act, Act 68 of 1986, so that they would not be seen as tyrants by the international world. They enriched themselves and they still are rich.
The ANC in the Eastern Cape, where I come from, launched a partnership programme between the university and the Dohne Agricultural Development Institute. This programme showed that the province of the Eastern Cape produces 30% below the expected level. 70% of the produce was imported and those are things that the province could produce itself. To cite an example, now we know that we produce half the expected produce of mealies. One hectare could produce 4 tons on a fertile land and where rain is abundant. A two-person household could survive on 2 tons of mealies a year. If we could increase our production, the province could double what it is now getting. That could enable us to supply other provinces and other places outside of our country, something that could boost the economy of this province. That is the only plan we have and we do not need to compare ourselves to Australia, whose standard we could never reach overnight.
This programme could succeed only if the majority government could increase this province’s budget. It would not help just to throw around ideas and not to utilise them. We do know, however, that the Government is still fighting the huge debt that we inherited.
The majority of people in the rural areas are associated with agriculture, but because of certain difficulties, scarcity of resources, lack of infrastructure, lack of employment opportunities and development and disunity among the farming community, farmers are finding it hard to move forward. This situation is also caused by the kind of budget that does not seek to provide for all the needs of the farmers. The stealing of land by white people left a very serious problem that must really be looked at.
The law must not only be passed, but it must be seen to take its course so that those who do not have land could get an opportunity too.]
Justice must not only be seen to be done, but must manifestly be seen to be doneÿ …
ISebe lezoLimo neMicimbi yeMihlaba lifumanise ukuba njengokuba ndithetha umhlaba ongokaRhulumente onokunikezelwa ebantwini ngabanye naseluntwini uziihekthare ezingamawaka angama-260. Eli sebe liqulunqe inkqubo yokunikezela ngalo mhlaba kaRhulumente eluntwini, i-state disposal framework. Le nkqubo ithi umhlaba osemagunyeni amagqwetha ngama-15000 eehektare, iitayitile zemihlaba neefama ezithengiswayo eNgqushwa ngamawaka angama-50 eehekthare; eGwatyu ngamawaka angama-38 eehekthare; eUmnga Flats ngamawaka ali-15 eehekthare; eGuba Farms ngama-17 500 eehekthare; eDikeni ngama-100 000 eehekthare; ePort St. Johns li-1 700 eehekthare; kwaMankazana ngama-3 775 eehekthare; kwaMasakhane ngama-4 400.
Lo mhlaba uza kwabiwa kusetyenziswa inkqubo yokubuyiselwa komhlaba nophuhliso lwawo, kwaye lujolise ekufezekiseni iimfuno zabantu ukuze kuphuhliswe le mibandela ilandelayo: Ezolimo, ezokuhlala, ezorhwebo, ezamahlathi, ezolondolozo lwendalo, ezolonwabo. (Translation of Xhosa paragraphs follows.)
The Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs found that even as I speak the Government land that could be given to individuals and communities is 260 000 hectares. This department worked out a programme, the state disposal framework, through which land will be given back to people. This programme says that at Peddie there are 50 000 hectares; at Gwatyu 38 000 hectares; at Umnga 15 000 hectares; at Guba farms it is 17 500 hectares; at Alice it is 100 000 hectares; at Port St Johns it is 1 700 hectares; at Mankazana 3 775 hectares; and at Masakhane 4 400 hectares.
This land will be distributed according to the integrated programme of land redistribution and agricultural development and its objective is to service the needs of people and to focus on the following things: farming, social/community issues, economy, forests, environment and recreation.]
The major focus of the provincial department of agriculture and land affairs is to promote sustainable utilisation of natural resources, and to shift from subsistence farming to semicommercial and, ultimately, commercial farming.
Ukuze eli phulo liphumelele, kuye kwabonakala ukuba kufuneka likhatshwe zizindululo eziya kuphicothwa libhunga. Kufuneka kuqulunqwe umthetho ojongene nolwabiwo lomhlaba, umgaqo-nkqubo wolwabiwo lomhlaba kunye namalungiselelo okuyixhasa ngemali le nkqubo. Ezinye zezi zindululo ndisandul’ ukuzikhankanya sele ziqulunqiwe. (Translation of Xhosa paragraph follows.)
[In order for this campaign to become successful, it became clear that it would need to be accompanied by some proposals that the committee would have to deal with. A law, which would be aimed at looking at the distribution of land, a policy document and funding, should be passed. Some of the proposals I have just mentioned are already being processed.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Hon member, your speaking time has expired.
Mrs B N DLULANE: Mhlalingaphambili, siyaluxhasa olu lwabiwo-mali. [Kwaqhwatywa.] [Chairperson, we support this budget. [Applause.]]
Ms B THOMSON: Chairperson, hon Minister, members and special delegates, the question of land continues to be a thorny issue in South Africa. Meanwhile, the frustrations of the rural landless continue, and in time we may not be able to contain these frustrations. Economic power relations between white owners of land and the black rural poor still exist. Stakeholders in the land reform process, particularly the white owners of land, seem to have forgotten the case for Government’s land reform policy. The importance of land reform arises from historical policies of landownership in apartheid South Africa. Land was also the basis for political representation. Let me remind hon members that land dispossession of black people had taken place at the hands of white colonisers. Successive white governments restricted the land available for black occupation, and changed the system of land administration.
We need to understand that land provides an important productive resource for the community. Land is significant for community stability, cohesion and production. [Interjections.] The impact of land restriction has terrible consequences for the community. We should expect to see a breakdown in community cohesion, an increase in the number of landless people and a reduction in food security, with some people worse off than others. [Interjections.] Consequently, we also should expect to see an increase in crime. Therefore, land must be effectively utilised by all members of the community for the maximum benefit and security of all.
Kumhlonishwa wami mangithi lapha-ke ngizama ukusho ukuthi mhlawumbe elinye ikhambi lokuthi siqede ukubulawa kwabalimi emapulazini ngukuthi sidedele wona lawa mapulazi ngoba abanye bethu banodedangendlale bawo.
[I would like to give the hon the Minister a solution to the problem of the killing of farmers. They must give away parts of their farms because some of these farmers have huge farms.]
Yet this does not seem to be the case, as we encounter obstacles to land reform. Last week an illegal attempt to evict a family of six farm tenants was made by a farmer at Howick in KwaZulu-Natal. The family has lived on the farm since 1948. This is despite the fact that the land is the subject of a pending land claim by the family.
One of the family members is a 74-year-old pensioner, while there is a special protection in the Extension of Security of Tenure Act which forbids the eviction of pensioners. Also, the Department of Land Affairs must be notified of the eviction, and this has not been the case. This failure has rendered the eviction illegal. Although this eviction has been stayed, certain items belonging to the family have not been returned.
We need also not to lose sight of the recent attacks on the farming community. The importance of agriculture seems to go unnoticed. Agriculture is not only important to the economy, but also to our daily livelihoods. Remember: no farmer, no food. Just on Sunday, gunmen shot dead a woman and seriously injured her boyfriend while the two were returning from church in Mpumalanga. A gang of eight killed a farm labourer east of Nelspruit.
Not only are such brutal acts, unfair evictions and delayed land reform a recipe for disaster, but they may also create sour relations in the countryside. I quote from a certain writer:
If blood is spilt, we make the future difficult. Blood is a means of binding us together, but blood that is spilt does not bind us together, but it creates a gulf, a deep gulf which in the history of people like ours might be unbridgeable.
I am confident that the Ministry of Safety and Security will leave no stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators to book. I also send our deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the farm attacks. Speeding up and removing obstacles to land reform is a duty we will not escape. I want to point out to Mr Durr that it will be unwise to entertain the interests of commercial agriculture, while ignoring the peasantry in the countryside. It is not a secret that the white commercial farmers have enriched themselves at the expense of cheap black labour, land dispossession and abuse of basic human rights. The majority of rural people are poor and black. A great many people still go hungry and young children are the most vulnerable.
The availability of land becomes a conerstone of food security. If a nation is well fed, particularly the young children who are at the early stages of physical and mental development, it will improve the nutritional status of the nation at large. The incidence of disease will be minimised and the effects of this will be great savings on health expenditure. Funds can thus be channelled to other areas of development.
The meaning of land reform needs to be redefined, and particular areas of our legislation need to be revisited. The primary reason for land reform is to redress the injustices of apartheid, and to alleviate the impoverishment that it caused. We are therefore far from achieving that goal.
South Africa is not a fertile country, agriculturally. This problem is even worse in the former homelands, because of bad land management practices. Much of the arable land in the former homelands is on slopes and subjected to wind and water erosion. Stock farming is usually the viable type of agriculture in these areas.
It therefore stands to reason that land on the white-owned farms should be made available to the rural poor, but how can such land be acquired? Attempts to expropriate a farm near Lydenburg in Mpumalanga have been blocked by the present owner, who is demanding between R1,5 million and R2 million. The state was offering about R850 000. Would one truly say that this is fair, given the fact that this farmer bought the land with soft subsidised loans? [Interjections.] It is very true that the land has appreciated in value over the past years, but then what is the meaning of redress and reconciliation?
This is the first case in which the land claims commission is seeking expropriation. If this is to be the attitude of present landowners, then we are far from redressing the past injustices. Alternative routes will have to be sought if nation-building and reconciliation are to be our priorities.
Amendment of present legislation may well be one such route, in addition to a closer look at section 25 of the Constitution, the property clause, however thorny that may be. What is needed is a change in the whole mindset of farmers. This change is applicable not only to land reform, but to a range of other issues like labour relations on farms. Perhaps this might go a long way towards ending the brutality that we see. [Applause.]
The MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND LAND AFFAIRS: Chairperson, hon members, I must say that it was interesting to listen to the debate, and members kept us on our toes about delivering what we promised in last year’s budget. I want to thank the officials who have understood the importance of the Batho Pele campaign - people first. Without that understanding they would not have been able to deliver with speed some of those things we mentioned last year.
I must also indicate that we will continue, as the ANC-led Government, to ensure that the work in which our civil servants attend to the task of serving the South African people becomes true to the objective that our role is to improve the quality of life of all South Africans. I think, through the debate, the issues that we raised in part challenge us to find common ground around which, as South Africans, we can build consensus for our future. I think the debate illustrates in some way that this is the challenge that we still face.
I could hear, as I sat here, some of the voices that articulate the interests of those who are relatively developed and other voices representing the poor in society. One must say that that is correct, because this is the situation we are in. Sometimes what worries me is the way in which some of those voices also represent the racial polarisation in our society. I hope we will reach a position one day when all of us as South Africans can articulate the needs of the South African people, regardless of who they are.
I must say that as I sat here and listened to hon members I thought: If only we had never had the legacy of apartheid, we would not be talking about land reform in the manner in which we do. At least we would be talking about land reform given whatever special planning and changes as a result of particular choices. This is one reality we cannot avoid, that we need to change and redress what was wrong. The Congolese proverb is a very good one: Change is pain; it is like childbirth. The person who comes out is neither an oppressor nor one of the oppressed. I think that one day, through this change, we will build a South African nation that, when it looks back, will say: never again will we go back to what was. Our children will look forward to a future where they will appreciate the strength in their diversity as a people.
It may not be necessary to deal with each and every issue that all of us here have raised. I thought it may be necessary just to categorise some of the issues which I thought members in the debate raised eloquently. The fundamental issues that were raised were issues of equity, issues of access, issues of poverty and issues of economic growth.
If one looks at the challenges that we face in order to deal with some of these programmes, clearly the issue of food security cannot be overestimated. As a department our view is that issues of food security should take into consideration the issues of equity, affordability and availability. I would like to say that while some of the provinces may be in a relatively better position in terms of their production, actually being able to go into new areas such as higher value crops and technological advancement, we should not forget that among our communities the majority are still poor.
So there are certain interventions that we need to undertake. One of those within the Departments of Agriculture and Land Affairs, in both national and provincial governments, as we heard some of the MECs indicating, is to actually undertake a food security strategy which on the one hand will deal with the issues of household food security. Therefore kubaba uMapholoba ngithi [to the hon Mapholoba I say that] there is room for programmes such as Xoshindlala.
There is room for urban gardens, because, in a very limited way, they deal with those who are marginalised and vulnerable. At the same time it is important that we do not just treat urban gardens in a trivial way as if they are merely about gardening. They can offer an opportunity for job creation at a very local level. They also give an opportunity of putting fresh food on the tables of our consumers at a lower cost. I think we also need to create a balance. There is a space at that level of intervention, but clearly there is a need for graduation. Regarding the hon Mrs Vilakazi and the hon Mapholoba, I thought it is also necessary to indicate that Xoshindlala is a provincial initiative.
Ngithi kumama uVilakazi angizukwazi-ke ukusho ukuthi ngabe imali abanye abayitholanga kanjani kwathi abanye bayithola kanjani. Mhlawumbe uma sesikhuluma ngeVoti lesifundazwe, singakwazi ukubuza kuMnu Singh ukuthi ngabe lolu hlelo lwemali lwabiwa kanjani.
Thina, singundlunkulu, sikwazile ukuhlala phansi nezinye izifundazwe sabonisana ngokuthi mhlawumbe lezi zinhlelo ezifana noXoshindlala singazenza kanjani ukuthi zithithe izidingo zabantu njengemfanelo, nangokuthi bangaba baningi kangakanani abantu abangaluthola lolo xhaso. (Translation of Zulu paragraphs follows)
[I would not be able to explain to Mrs Vilakazi why some got the money while others did not. Perhaps when we talk about the provincial vote, we should ask Mr Singh how this system went.
As a national Government, we were able to sit down and talk with provincial legislatures regarding the formation of programmes like Xoshindlala. We talked about how they should be appealing to people and how many people will be able to receive this assistance.]
It is also necessary to acknowledge that the issue of food security raises particular critical questions. Some of those questions, as I say, raise the issues of production support and of food safety and quality. While there are many debates on the fact that in food security we should not underestimate the role that imports can play, it is also important that when such debates and dialogues are undertaken, we understand that there are issues of food safety that we need to take into consideration.
We also have to understand that it is important to protect our productive base locally around issues of economic growth, which I think a number of people touched on. That is precisely why both the national department and the provinces agreed that one of the priorities is the farmer settlement programme, because our intention is to build farmers who can operate at a smallholder level, on a medium and large scale. The critical question which we have to again deal with as a matter of balance is: How does one make it possible for those who were previously disadvantaged to get into this enterprise, given the challenges of our past that we all know about?
That is why, as Government, we have said that issues of infrastructure, training, research, production support, quality control, financing mechanisms, business management, policy and regulation are important. So there is a package. We are not saying siyobabeka nje ababelima sibashiye [we will dump them].
We would have to. That is why this is a joint programme between Agriculture and Land Affairs, so that, indeed, as we give access to land, we can also give support so that those people can be successful.
But these issues also clearly create room for interrelationships amongst departments. Some of the hon members raised the issue of market opportunities and some the issue of marketing information. How do we enable those farmers so that they can see opportunities for marketing at a local level, in the region, nationally and internationally? What type of incentives do we need to put in place?
There are also other issues that are very critical - issues of competitiveness. While I appreciate the statement that was made by the hon Mr Durr, I think it is important for him to say that this department - and I am sure he is following our debate - has analysed the problem correctly. That is why we have always said that there is a balance to support our established commercial sector, as well as those who are new entrants, because it is not our intention, as this Government, to destroy that economic sector, but we want it to become competitive.
Understanding what the hon member Mrs Versveld raised about the challenges around which our farmers produce, it is true that these are the issues that we need to look at together. That is why co-operative governance, as opposed to a go-alone approach, is necessary. When we undertake, in particular, lucerne research, as she indicates, which is agricultural development, we must do so understanding what the national impact will be. My colleague Mary Metcalfe may, for example, decide on a very wonderful strategy. She may be sitting on a water catchment and decide to dam the whole Vaal River and leave all of us in the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal without water. While she may have solved the problems of the Free State, she would adversely affect other provinces. I think it is in this spirit that we say it is important to dialogue and work together on these matters.
There is another matter around issues of competitiveness which was raised by my colleague Mr Van Rensburg, and which deals with how to position ourselves as a country in the international environment. I think the debate within the EU-South Africa agreement posed this challenge very well. Some of us who are very young - I will not tell hon members what my age is - grew up knowing the port and sherry as South African products, but all of a sudden we were told by the EU that the name ``port’’ originated in a country in the European region. While we thought we had tried to compromise on that one, the list just became longer and longer with ouzo and grappa, you know. In dealing with those issues we must find a better mechanism for us in order to compete effectively and capture these markets where we have been.
There is an interesting concept that the Western Cape is looking at, namely products of origin and the issue of geographic indications or traditional expression. It sounds very interesting to MEC Metcalfe and Dirk du Toit and the officials who looked at the presentation of this strategy to Minmec. It looks very good. It starts to characterise South African products and produce. But it raises a very interesting issue which my colleagues felt it necessary that we debate, not only as the Departments of Agriculture and Land Affairs, but also with the Department of Trade and Industry. How does one start to package a boerewors and call it “Magalieswors”? The argument would be that Magaliesberg is known for its beef production, and has prestige. But who, then, holds that patent? Who, then, becomes the custodian? Is it the Western Cape that might have come up with this bright idea? Is it the North West? Is it Botswana or Gauteng?
I see Mrs Versveld is shaking her head, but during the debate the Western Cape economists understood the issues I was raising. The issue of the origin of South African products would raise particular cultural debates. When one says “mala mogodu”, who is the custodian of that name? Is it the Sesotho or Setswana-speaking people of this country? Is it the Basotho or Batswana? I think the complexity of South African society is that we share these things at a regional level. Mrs Versveld must therefore note that it is important that when we deal with these issues we do so with an understanding of the challenges we are undertaking. One does not want an attack in which we are taken on by one of our neighbouring countries of the World Trade Organisation Trips agreement.
It is a reality. My mother is a Swazi, from Mankayane in Swaziland. She speaks the same language as the people in Mpumalanga, particularly those in Nkomati and Nelspruit. Before they had their colonial borders, they were the same people. So when one starts talking tintfo takaNgwane, ngubani-ke lotaba wakaNgwane emkhatsini weNelspruit neMankayane? [things that belong to Ngwane, who is then going to be belonging to Nelspruit or to Mankayane?] It raises a debate. I am happy to say that between ourselves and the Western Cape we have agreed to set up a task team so that we can dialogue on this matter together with the Department of Trade and Industry and adopt a similar strategy so that we agree on what will be the fundamentals and how we also benefit all South Africans. Some of us who might have the ability and the technology could move away and further entrench the divisions and the benefits our society. It may not be a nice debate, but it is a reality.
The other matter which I thought it necessary to deal with is around what forms of production support we have identified as critical at this stage which we can put from our national department’s budget. Clearly, the issue of animal health has been identified as one of those key areas. One of the hon members asked why dipping services and particular medicine were no longer provided, and said they were told the decision came from above.
Ngithi kumalungu uabove'' lo mningi ngoba obasi kwezolimo bayi-11
ngePhini likaNgqongoshe. Kukhona obasi abaphezulu, abakuleli zinga elifana
nelami nje, bese kuba khona nabanye obasi bami abafana no-Mary Metcalfe, o-
Van Rensburg no-Aaron Motswaledi. Manje-ke angazi ukuthi uma bethi
ngaphezulu’’ basuke besho ngaphezulu kuphi. Kodwa-ke sonke sesivumelene
ngokuthi noma ngabe luqhamuka ngaphezulu ezifundazweni noma ngaphezulu
phezulu, lolu daba kufuneka siludingide. (Translation of Zulu paragraphs
follows.)
[I would like to tell hon members that this “above” is enough because we
have 11 bosses, including the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Land
Affairs. There are bosses who are at the same level as mine. There are also
my bosses, such as Mary Metcalfe, Van Rensburg and Aaron Motswaledi. Now I
do not know to whom they are referring when they say “above”. However, we
have all agreed that even if it this “above” means provinces or “far
above”, it must be corrected.]
We have agreed that in this budget we are going to revive all dipping services in the country, starting with communal areas. [Applause.] We have agreed that, as Government, we will provide support, ensuring that while we rehabilitate the infrastructure, starting with those areas that were affected by foot-and-mouth disease, we actually provide, working with provinces, some financial resources to improve support for medicine in particular. But, clearly, we have said that we want to ensure that we set up a primary animal health system at local level. We have also said that in order for Government to give this support, as we are doing with the diesel rebate, it is important to know how many farmers we have in South Africa. Khona manje sonkhe sitsi 60 000, labanye batsi 50 000, nami-ke angisati kutsi kahle hle bangaki labalimi labakhona. [Currently, we are all saying 60 000, others are saying 50 000, and I actually do not know how many farmers there are.] So we have decided that we are going to set up a farm register, and I am happy to say that Agri -SA and the National African Farmers’ Union have agreed with us, because this will help eliminate duplication.
Sometimes when one hears about figures one must note that a farmer could be a member of Agri SA and also of Grain SA in a commodity group, so when the figures are added up, one gets these inflated numbers, and yet one is counting Thoko Msane many times. We want to deal with those issues. That will also assist us when we argue about the national Budget with the Treasury and say that these are the people for whom we are asking for support.
I must say that the issue raised around land reform is, indeed, a very serious one. It raises the question of access and the question of equity and redress. We will continue, as we have committed ourselves, to accelerate the issue of restitution, because it is an important matter of social justice. All of us here who knew, saw and experienced land dispossession, particularly around forced removals, know the emotiveness of the issue. We want to ensure that we settle it, and clearly one must thank the commissioners for the way in which they have worked.
I want to assure Kgosi Mokoena that the provincial commissioners of Mpumalanga and Northern Province are going to be based in the provinces. I have delivered even before leaving this House. We are doing this because we understand that the closer the service is to the people, the better for all of us.
I also want to indicate that we have committed ourselves to addressing the issue of redistribution, and this is where, in our view, we will have to deal with the issues which I think Comrade Mary Metcalfe and other members raised.
Last year members of the National Assembly - and I know the committees in the provinces as well - visited a number of areas. I think it is a reality that we still have not found a better mechanism for dealing with evictions. There is legislation, which is a mechanism that is supposed to enable all of us to deal with this problem. Clearly we have to finally address the issue of security of tenure for labour tenants and farmworkers. We have made a decision that in this year’s budget we are going to target some of these areas and ensure that we acquire land so that at last these people, for the first time, can say: This is mine.
Working with the provinces, we will be able to identify key pilot areas, such as Wakkerstroom, Ermelo in Mpumalanga, some areas of Gauteng, the North West and KwaZulu-Natal, particularly areas such as Newcastle and Vryheid, in which the rate of evictions has been very high in the past year. We hope that we will be able to get support, particularly from the landowners, so that, when we negotiate the acquisition of property for our vulnerable communities, we can find each other and meet each other halfway.
It is also necessary to end with the issue of farm violence. I heard one hon member say: ``Minister, we are not hearing you, you are not being vocal on this matter.’’ It may be true, it may also not be true. In my understanding it does not help to be vocal continuously when no action can be taken. I think this sometimes confuses issues, because the next question hon members will ask me when I keep on raising the matter will be: What are you going to do? and I will then repeat what I said last week and the previous weeks. I said I would raise the matter with the security Ministers, but does that help? It does not. One will end up saying: No, this Minister is playing games with us. But this is where collaboration and co-ordination within government become critical.
I want to say to hon members that it may have been a quiet strategy, but we have been able to achieve something. I am sure hon members have seen, after we made announcements following the presidential working group, that we have actually moved as Government on this matter. Farmers met with me and the Minister of Safety and Security and we agreed on a common strategy in dealing with farm violence and, more particularly, rural violence. One of those strategies is to ensure that we increase surveillance in those areas and increase patrols and police personnel in the rural safety plan.
The Ministry of Safety and Security have in this budget - and I am sure they will indicate it - actually put aside money to purchase two helicopters that will help ensure a quicker response and surveillance, so we cannot say that nothing has been done.
A training programme has also been formulated to ensure that we improve the level of capacity of farmworkers so that they become an integral part of the protection plan. It does not help to say we will have commandos and we do nothing about farmworkers, so that they become spectators, because they are part of the plan. But, more importantly, we have agreed with farmers’ organisations that it is critical to build relationships, so that we can become the defenders of each other.
One of the important things for which I must commend the farmers of this country is that when one farmer decided to poison his farmworkers, Agri SA, even before the Government made a comment, made a statement and condemned that action.
I must say that this is a good example, because it is an indication that not everybody in our society is bad, but that their are just a few bad apples.
I think that if, as MmaChabaku dealt with the matter, we could all as South Africans say we will weed out those elements, be they among farmers, be they within our communities, or farmworkers, we will be able to hold each other’s hands. This is my appeal, and we will indeed continue to work in this manner.
More importantly, the issue of labour conditions among farmworkers has also been attended to. The Ministry of Labour and SA have been meeting to find a way in which they can actually improve the working conditions of farmworkers.
As I speak today, there will be a national consultative forum that will come up with a consensus document and protocol that will actually govern the way in which there must be coexistence, particularly around labour issues in farming areas.
Mrs A M VERSVELD: And in fishing areas.
The MINISTER: And what?
Mrs A M VERSFELD: And in fishing areas.
The MINISTER: And in fishing areas. We will try to ensure that we bring the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism into that discussion.
I must say that some of the fears that have been expressed around the issue of the subdivision of agricultural land have been taken care of in the drafting process. I want to assure the hon Mr Durr that this Minister and Deputy Minister are the last people who would want to erode agricultural land, because we understand the value of agriculture not only to our economy, but also to our society.
Therefore, the way in which we want to deal with land use is to ensure that we protect agricultural land, while being conscious to the needs of other users of land for industrial and other settlement purposes. Time and again, our role will be to ensure that there is a fair balance.
I think that when the President in his speech highlighted Government’s decision on making agriculture one of the economic drivers, it was an affirmation of the importance of this sector our economy.
We do understand it when other people say this is a very minute sector and that it has very little to contribute to the economy. But let’s face it: all of us here are so beautiful and lively because we have had food. [Interjections.] I think it is foolhardy for us, as a country, to say that we do not want any productive base because we can buy, especially with the property that we still have. With the unemployment challenges that we still face as a country, how can we afford to purchase?
That is why it is necessary, in the midst of all these challenges and the climatic conditions of the country, to keep our capacity to produce for ourselves.
I am sure I can count on hon members to support us in these endeavours. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
The Council adjourned at 17:52. ____
ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
WEDNESDAY, 4 APRIL 2001
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
National Council of Provinces:
- The Chairperson:
The Minister of Trade and Industry on 22 March 2001 submitted drafts
and memorandums explaining the objects of the following proposed Bills,
to the Chairperson in terms of Joint Rule 159. The drafts have been
referred by the Chairperson to the Select Committee on Economic Affairs
in accordance with Joint Rule 159(2):
(i) Counterfeit Goods Amendment Bill, 2001
(ii) Trade Practices Amendment Bill, 2001
(iii) Patents Amendment Bill, 2001
(iv) Merchandise Marks Amendment Bill, 2001
(v) Consumer Affairs (Unfair Business Practices) Amendment
Bill, 2001
(vi) Performers' Protection Amendment Bill, 2001
(vii) Companies Amendment Bill, 2001
(viii) Close Corporations Amendment Bill, 2001
(ix) Copyright Amendment Bill, 2001
(x) Export Credit and Foreign Investment Reinsurance Amendment
Bill, 2001
(xi) Industrial Development Amendment Bill, 2001 TABLINGS:
National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:
Papers:
- The Speaker and the Chairperson:
Report and Decisions of the 5th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly
of Heads of State and Government of the OAU/AEC, held in Sirte, Libya
from 1 to 2 March 2001. Paragraphs 1.2 and 2.4 reflect that the draft
Protocol on the Pan-African Parliament had been adopted with amendments
to Articles 4 and 25:
CREDA INSERT REPORT
THURSDAY, 5 APRIL 2001
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:
- The Speaker and the Chairperson: The Taxation Laws Amendment Bill [B 17 - 2001] (National Assembly - sec 77), that was introduced by the Minister of Finance on 5 April 2001, has been referred to the Joint Committee on Taxation Laws Amendment Bill in accordance with resolutions adopted by the Assembly and by the Council on 20 March 2001.
National Council of Provinces:
- The Chairperson:
Message from National Assembly to National Council of Provinces:
(1) Bill, as amended, passed by National Assembly on 5 April 2001
and transmitted for consideration of Assembly's amendments:
(i) Housing Amendment Bill [B 7D - 2001] (National Council of
Provinces - sec 76(2)).
(2) The Bill has been referred to the Select Committee on Public
Services of the National Council of Provinces.
(3) Bills passed by National Assembly on 5 April 2001 and
transmitted for concurrence:
(i) South African Sports Commission Amendment Bill [B 2B -
2001] (National Assembly - sec 75).
(ii) South African Boxing Bill [B 13B - 2001] (National
Assembly - sec 75).
(4) The Bills have been referred to the Select Committee on
Education and Recreation of the National Council of Provinces.
- The Chairperson:
(1) Bill passed by National Council of Provinces on 5 April 2001: To
be submitted to President of the Republic for assent:
(i) Advisory Board on Social Development Bill [B 43B - 2000]
(National Assembly - sec 75) (introduced as Developmental
Welfare Governance Bill [B 43 - 2000]).
TABLINGS:
National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:
Papers:
- The Minister of Finance:
(1) Explanatory Memorandum on the Taxation Laws Amendment Bill, 2001
[WP 1-2001].
(2) Government Notice No R.231 published in the Government Gazette
No 22139 dated 8 March 2001, Cancellation of appointment of
authorised dealers in foreign exchange.
(3) Government Notice No R.238 published in the Government Gazette
No 22141 dated 9 March 2001, Draft Treasury Regulations published
for comment in terms of section 78 of the Public Finance
Management Act, 1999 [Act 1 of 1999].