The Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, today (02 November 2018), met with MECs, Mayors, and councilors from the various provinces to review, strategise, refocus, realign programs and projects, and review progress on the half-yearly progress report on the implementation of Outcome 7 programme of Action and to share information and plans.
In her opening address, the Minister said that National Development Plan’s Vision 2030 provides for an integrated and inclusive rural economy, it is a vision which cannot be achieved by one department or sphere of government working in Silos.
“We have to work together to ensure that the NDP’s vision is achieved. The goal of the engagement is to also ensure integration of projects and programmes in the rural development and land reform space as the implementation is at all spheres of government,” said the Minister.
The department has heeded the call of our people, government and the President to quicken our steps through Rapid Land Release and also ensure readiness of providing financial support to farming community during this planting season. The department has committed R800m this financial year towards the stimulus package to provide support to women and youth farmers to ready them during this planting season to ensure sustainable food security for the nation.
“As a country, we are fighting the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. We should; therefore, ensure that our greater and deliberate efforts are directed and channeled towards economic empowerment of women and youth,” urged the Minister.
The minister also indicated that the two phases of the land audit have been conducted, finalised and published.
“The focus was to determine how much land was in the hand of the state in 2013. The second phase was on ownership, where we discovered that only 4% of land was owned by blacks. The third phase is underway where the focus is on racial and gender audit, the unbundling of ownership in trusts, companies and community based organisations,” highlighted the Minister.
In South Africa, women account for a large proportion of agricultural work force as well as heading families in rural areas. This should somehow find reflection in this audit, projects and programs. Gender responsive budgeting should be done at all levels and be reflected in all our strategies.
“As a department, we acquire assets in the form of implements, equipment and mechanisation and give them to communities as start-up packages to kick start them into production, now for that value to be realised and lead to proper beneficiation, this requires further international and domestic investment through properly consolidated partnerships, mentoring and skilling, opening access opportunities and markets,” said the Minister.
She further reiterated that skilling should be enhanced as the communities also possess Indigenous Knowledge Systems that should be augmented with modern mechanisms and systems as we are in the 4th industrial revolution to move our communities from subsistence farming to commercialised farming.
Amongst the MECs who attended the MinMec was: MEC Norman Shushu; MEC Manketsi Tlhape; MEC Themba Mthembu and MEC Rodgers Bioskop Makamu.
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