Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson responds to weekend newspaper claims

13 Aug 2012

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries notes the orchestrated and well-coordinated campaign aimed at spreading malicious gossip and blatant lies to discredit the Ministry and department as evident in last weekend's newspapers (see Sunday World report).

The Minister is determined to get to the root of corruption in the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Ministry and will continue to do so despite these efforts to derail her attempts. Despite these allegations, the Minister and committed staff will continue to do their level best to deliver services to South Africans and to work towards ensuring food security as food prices continue to increase.

Corruption leads to a lack of service delivery. It leads to broken promises and ultimately affects the poor among us. The mandate of the Minister, as spelled out in her agreements with the President, requires her to ensure food security to households that currently do not enjoy this.

The Minister's interventions with Walmart and especially within the small holder farming sector has given hope to farmers who otherwise would not have the skills or finances and markets to earn incomes. We will continue to work with rural women and households to ensure that the services reach them timeously.

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will continue to uplift the lives of the poor who continue to live in desperate conditions in our rural areas.

Statement issued by Palesa Mokomele, Spokesperson for Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, August 13 2012

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