LAND REFORM TARGETS 30% OF WHITE COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURAL LAND
The Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, Mr. Gugile Nkwinti, says the government wants to have 30% of all white commercial agricultural land in the hands of black people by 2014. He was responding to a question of Pieter Groenewald of the Freedom Front Plus in Parliament. Nkwinti clearly answered that the target of 30% is specifically at white commercial agricultural land.
"There has always been uncertainty about whether the 30% target for land reform includes all land, all agricultural land, all land belonging to white people or all agricultural land belonging to white people. Now we know it is commercial agricultural land in the hands of white people. It is bad news for the agricultural sector and is heading for a disaster that threatens food security in South Africa," Mr. Pieter Groenewald, the FF Plus parliamentary spokesperson on Rural Development and Land Reform says.
"According to Nkwinti's reply, 24,5 million hectares of agricultural land has to be transferred to black people. Apart from it being totally unrealistic, it is in opposition to comments made by deputy president, Kgalema Motlanthe, last month when he said that the target of 30% land reform is a myth which baffles him. Nkwinti himself also said that 90% of the land reform projects had failed. South Africa is already in a situation where certain agricultural products have to be imported. If the government is going to continue with this approach to land reform, food will become extremely expensive and famine could follow," Groenewald said.
According to Groenewald, the Freedom Front Plus will be putting further questions in parliament to the minister about the practicability of these targets as well as about the fact that Nkwinti's department is only now busy doing a land audit.
Statement issued by Mr. Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus parliamentary spokesperson: Rural Development and Land Reform, September 25 2012
Text of the question and reply:
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 1865
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 21-2012]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 03 August 2012
1865. Mr P J Groenewald (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:†
(1) Whether, with reference to his answer to question 145 on 26 March 2012, the Government's target of 30% of the land that has to be reallocated by 2014, still applies; if not, what is the new target; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether the target date of 2014 for reaching this goal still applies; if not, what is the new date;
(3) whether the 30% of land to which reference is made refers to 30% of (a) all land, (b) agricultural land, (c) all land currently belonging to whites, (d) agricultural land belonging to whites, or (e) any other land; if not in each case, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case what (i) land and (ii) are the further relevant details;
(4) whether he will make a statement on the matter? NW2120E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1) Yes. The Policy Speech of 2012, stated the following:
"Mr Speaker, I wish to take this opportunity to clarify this issue of the government's commitment to distribute 30 percent of the country's agricultural land by 2014. In 1994 South Africa had approximately 82 million hectares of white owned agricultural land. That is when the government set itself the target to redistribute 30% of this land to the previously disadvantaged by 2014. This constitutes approximately 24.5 million hectares of the said agricultural land. Up to the end of the third term of this democratic state, the government had acquired 6.7 million hectares of that land, which equals approximately 26% of that 24.5 million ha target. This figure does not include hectares of land for which the government paid financial compensation, either because people so chose, or because land could not be restored. Roughly, therefore, land which has been restored, from 1994/95 - May 2009, amounts to 6.7m ha + 882 238ha (land redistribution: 2009 to-date) + 368 483ha (restitution: 2009 to-date), totalling 7.950 721m ha. That is about 30% of the 24.5m ha targeted by 2014."
(2) Yes.
(3) (a), (b), (c) and (e) No.
(d) Yes.
(i) White owned commercial agricultural land.
(ii) Falls away
No.
Issued by Parliament, September 25 2012
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