.:The Lowvelder Online - Die Laevelder Op Die Web:.

Written by Desireé Rorke - Monday, 08 March 2010 16:30

NELSPRUIT - The objective of restoring 30 per cent of agricultural land by 2014, has been put on ice and R4 billion was allocated to rebuild the deteriorated farms, already restituted.
In alliance with the above aims, Mr Gugile Nkwinti, minister of rural development, called on white farmers, young and upcoming as well as retired, to partner with the department in this endeavour.
He pointed out that 90 per cent of the
5,9 million hectare farmland restituted since 1994, lay waste currently, and that the "use it or loose it" principle would now apply more than ever.
In the Lowveld, the Burgershall banana farms are an example of how once- productive farms deteriorated to wastelands. Also, in Hazyview and Malalane, communities of claimants are suffering due to unproductive farms.
"What is imperative in terms of land reform is to link our processes with strategic partners to ensure skills transfer and sustainability, and it is for this reason we want to partner with you," he said at an AGRI SA conference last Friday.
According to the minister, the R74 billion needed to reach the 30 per cent target, is simply not available presently, which is why emphasis will now fall on the rebuilding of farms over a period of three years.
He stated that much government funding had been wasted in the past on a system which did not benefit white farmers with existing claims on their land or claimants waiting for land for prolonged periods.
"There are two objectives behind this initiative namely the transfer of skills, expertise and knowledge and production discipline. Our goal, as a nation, is food security," he continued.
According to Nkwinti, the failure of the many land reform projects, of which there are many in the Lowveld, were not the fault of the beneficiaries alone, but of everyone, as land reform cannot happen in isolation, but requires a collective resolve, which matches emergent farmers with the expertise of commercial farmers.
During the debate on the State of the Nation Address, Nkwinti referred to the current land legislation as a patchwork, too fragmented to address the centuries-old land question in South Africa effectively.
"A green paper soon to be tabled in parliament will open a debate on the need to review the current land tenure system as a whole," he said.
Leader of the FF, Dr Pieter Mulder, welcomed this announcement, saying that it was a realistic approach that would result in real solutions.
"To date, idealistic and rash motivation towards land restitution has threatened the country's food security."

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Comments (1)

Please this guy have to give back our farms they stole from us by murdering and robbing and raping our women
now he sits with his finger where it hurts because his corrupt comrades in arms is hungry
sorry pel we aint traitors and we aint hensoppers
give us back our farms and admit that ur plan to steal our land was a massive lie and failure

stop AA and BEE and stop hunting more farms
and stop murdering our people and robbing us and raping our women

We r Christians we dont eat from the table of the communists