Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development can end hunger and unlock economic opportunities

Remarks

Note to Editors: The following remarks were delivered by RISE Mzansi National Leader, Songezo Zibi MP, during the debate on Budget Vote 29 (Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development).

Honourable Chair,

Committee Chairperson

Ministers and Deputy Ministers

Good morning,

The most important and basic function of any government is to keep its people safe, and to ensure everyone can put food on the table. Sadly, too many South Africans go to bed hungry, and have little or no hope that this will not be the case the next day.

For a country of South Africa’s natural wealth, this should not be the case. I note Honourable Ministers that notwithstanding, the department’s budget has been cut, again – which is a demoralising blow to the small farmers and landowners who work hard every day to make a living off the land.

It is also a blow to the long outstanding obligation to deliver land justice to historically dispossessed South Africans. I am also aware that this budget vote was formulated by the previous administration, so I am going to focus on a frame I believe is important if we are to have social and economic justice as instructed by the constitution.

Three things must be done by the Department in both its current and new form to ensure that South Africans in both rural and urban settings live happy, prosperous and dignified lives:

• Spatial planning and justice, especially in rural areas. Those of us from rural communities, have seen how villages and their surrounding towns have either grown or collapsed due, in part, to a lack of spatial planning. So, it is vital that Traditional Authorities work with this Department and other spheres of Government to ensure that people and the environment live in harmony and that planning is done not just for now, but the future.

• The provision of water to every home, enabling rural residents to use the land they have to produce their own food with the support of the government, especially in terms of crop choices, modern seeds and other modern farming methods.

• Prioritise land restitution to bring certainty to all South Africans. We are not helping ourselves as a country when we continue to drag our feet, mismanage and underfund land restitution. I hope that we will see an increase in budget allocations for land restitution and redistribution so that we can put this matter to bed within a generation.

If we achieve the above the people of South Africa will not go to bed hungry, they will have a place to live, and they will be able to produce income by selling agricultural products.

Ndiyabulela!

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