DA paints bleak picture of SA's land reform

ZIMBABWE here we come.All about votes and money nothing else.Thanks ANC.

Carte Blanche did a segment on this last Sunday (watch it here http://www.mnet.co.za/mnetvideo/browseVideo.aspx?Search=carte%20blanche)

This is what I call constructive critisism, well done DA. Our people need to start realising that we are our worst enemies when it comes to food sustainability and production ie, Somalia, Kenya, Zambi, Malawi [though improving now]. Minister Gugile Nkwinti must step up the game and change rules, land cannot be given to peopel with no idea regardless it's thier grandparents. We are nation in reconstructions and dEvelopment
Thank you DA!

The rot is widespread because no one "owns" the damn thing.

There is no justice in making land reform necessarily an agricultural revolution. Restitution which is the basis of SA land reform is about returning that which was stolen to its rightful owners whether they want to farm or not. As painful as it is the just truth. Just because the person who got the stolen land developed a farming business on it does not mean that those who get the land must also farm. For starters whereas one person i.e juristic persona had title over the whole area now a community with disparate needs, expectations, views now has ownership of land on which they want to build settlements like their ancestors before them not a co-operative business village farm. Maybe some want to work in the industrial areas and come home to rest and retire.

Land reform that has agriculture as its goal would start with the rural people in the tribal lands or former homelands. Those are the people whose potential must be developed. Tillage support and extension work must be given to individual communal farmers not co-operative people who wanted their land back to do as they please. The individual with enterprise is what should be developed and supported. If there is one upside to it is that land reform in Zimbabwe recognises individuals which in time bodes well for it.

The dairy farm should be dismantled and the equipment sold at subsidised to aspiring resource challenged black farmers anywhere in the country. Where the government takes it must compensate somewhere.

William, When the land was stolen all those years ago, the population of South Africa was a fraction of what it is today. Furthermore the culture of the people back then was totally different. People were nomadic and moved from place to place. However nowadays there there must be near 50 million people, of all races, living in our beautiful country. Now I agree with land distribution but if a great percentage of land recipients don't want to farm, how will we feed the nation? Most of the population live in towns and cities. Where will we get maize, meat, milk, etc from?

I agree that stolen land should be returned if it can be proved. I also agree that beyond subsidising the initial transfer, the SA taxpayer should have no further liability in maintaining the new inhabitants whether they want to farm or not. Farming is very hard work, and public institutions should only support those who can prove that they have the ability and endurance required. What must rot away must rot away - no sympathy there as this is part of life. There is always Oxfam for the poor and lazy, and those who can afford it can import food from Argentina, Australia or France, or buy the surplus from Chinese agricultural concerns that are springing up all over Africa.

Give back the land to it's original owners.It is not up to the DA to investigate as to what the land should be used for.Our people are capable of their own future with their land and not some dictator like commands coming from a racist party.

Jeez, some of you are idiots. With the population explosion in this country we need more farmers, not less. Who is going to feed the masses when they all have the land sothat they can sit under a tree all day? Other African countries are now realising how important food security is and are actively recruiting South African farmers. They are the clever ones and have woken up while we are hell bent on destroying what we have. Only a blinkered idiot would say that this land doesn't need to be farmed.

Facts dude- what a stupid comment you made. If by default the land returns to what it was i.e. not producing for the mass population, then the mass population will eventually go hungry. The DA are actually being something called proactive.

This is EXACTLY like Zim. I heard the same story from a Zimbabwean at the start of Zim's land grab. The missing part is that people are brought from the city and put on a farm. When they have finished looting it they move back to the city because they don't want to live out in the sticks.

@Roger - let them loot as they did in Zim. Back in the cities they'll be dealt with as Bob did with them when he cleaned up Harare, etc. Just desserts for the povo's tremendous stupidity.

DA, let me explain, the goal of LAND REFORM is to give people land, not to create millionaire farmers.

I'm horrified by some of the comments above. I cannot believe that in the 21st century some people, clearly quite capable of using a computer and connecting to the internet, do not believe that the beneficiaries of land claims have any responsibility to actualy ensure that those farms remain productive.

How exactly is this nation going to be fed in the years to come, or are we going to join the rest of Africa as a basket case waiting for handouts from the hated west, while the beneficiaries of once highly productive farms sit in derelict homesteads and eke out an hand to mouth existance by producing enough for themselves and their immediate family.

We are further down the road to the DRC type of nation than I ever imagined.

The DA has pointed out the problem. Now the DA needs to recommend a solution. There is no doubt that land reform is necessary. Possibly the agricultural cooperative model would help - this gave Afrikaner farmers economies of scale and support with shared resources. The reality in SA is that commercial farming is high risk, low return, backbreaking work.

Ahem……….

South Africa NEEDS foreign investment and to folk outside of SA it all looks like the same old tune playing from Africa and the world is waking up to just giving Africa handouts.

The rest of the world have our own problems to deal with and whilst South Africa is still stuck in the game of black versus white your resources go down the toilet.

It is clearly lacking vision and leadership.

Get over the past and start acting like adults and consider your OWN future.

If your nation starves in the name of correcting an old wrong – is that then right?

We are not in South Africa. You have a beautiful country but it seems to heading the way of Zimbabwe. You need to seriously ask yourself as a nation if that is where you want to end up.

Mark, If you read the article properly you will see that the DA did give some ideas. It is up to the government to listen and implement if they think it's a good idea.

Gus, where do you get the money from to import all the food required and what if there is a world wide shortage of goods and those countries you mention don't produce enough to sell? You do realise that high demand will push up the price!! Isn't it better to be self sufficient as a country than to rely on hand outs, IE become another Zim???

The restitution program has never been about replacing productive white farmers with productive black farmers, it's been about giving land thought of as stolen back to the original community, however that's worked out. The original community should also remove their jeans and t-shirts, walk to the river for water and light a fire for light and warmth if history is to be properly reversed. Which is more or less what the DA have found there on their visits it would seem.

There are 2 things about 'land reform' that I struggle with:

1) Who cares what colour the farmer is, who produces our food? are we not 1 nationality, producing good for each other? Is it equally important then that white Africans produce kwaito CD's as well?

2) There is enough government land that can be allocated to aspiring black farmers. This COUPLED with the willing buyer/seller plan, should over time balance our the diversity of our farmers. I can't understand why productive farms are targetted for ownership changes? Surely the unused land should be ADDED to the productive land nationally first? Surely that way we'd have an incraesing amount of productive land AND an increasing amount of black farmers.

The short sightedness of some commentators is scary. The world is in a food crisis, and some of us are more interested in settling scores, than in actually feeding our people. Let's statr of by ensuring that every South African has a full stomach. Once that's achieved, we will be in a luxurious position where we can worry about the details of who grew it.

The DA has pointed out the problem and has supplied incontrovertible evidence -- names, dates, times, places. So it's not the "DA claim", which makes it sound open for dispute. It's the cold, hard truth. And, no, having pointed out the problem does NOT require you to provide the "solution" into the bargain. The ANC government, and not the DA opposition, has been elected by the vast majority to solve this and all other problems. Now that they know there IS a problem, they have to fix it. After all, it is their own land-reform policy which broke it in the first place. Fair's fair. You break it; you fix it.

"Constructive" criticism my @ss...

How do you some up a system that is comprised of thousands of farms by only visiting 11? Who chose to visit those farms and why only 11?

The DA's recommendations are not contructive but are obvious and have been taken into consideration by the gvmnt!! Land redistribution is not only about agriculture but is also giving land back to those that got driven off their properties via restitution!

""White farmers cannot be seen as 'the enemy' and must be made partners in this whole process,"

The Minister of Agriculture is a white man!

2boy: R2 billion stolen from the Landbank, by an ANC cadre.

Any advise or solutions, offered by someone not part of the ANC, is returned with insults.

Or, if the criticism is directed towards a person in government, then its returned with cries of racism.

Help me, help you, help us all.

Sinudeity @gmail.com

one person stole R2 billion, WOW, who is so brave to steal TWO BILLION RAND Sinudeity?

"Any advise or solutions, offered by someone not part of the ANC, is returned with insults."

There is good advise and there is mediocre advise... How do you tell that people have a "love for farming" when they didn't have land in the first place and that is why the redistribution is happening?

To a certain degree I agree with the DA's report, However not all land redistribution will be used for farming, hence the report need to take that into account. The department of agriculture must step in and help small black farms, by givinf them skills training and finance. And lastly the land which was previously used for farming by it former owns should be given to farm workers who have knowledge about farming.

Thats whats wrong with the DA. They inspected the farms and made a judgement. They have shown parallels with Zimbabwe.Thats all they are capable of.

Lets look at another scenario. Inspect the farms. Look at how the new owners can be supported. Guide them through the process. Be positive.Show them its not a Black/White thing,just S Africans helping each other.

The Minister of Agriculture should show the way. He looks the sort that can help.

Good work DA

2boy: "Who is so brave to steal TWO BILLION RAND Sinudeity?"

Dont know, the ANC is busy covering up and protecting the individual(s).

Im still waiting for names.

2boy: "Who is so brave to steal TWO BILLION RAND Sinudeity?"

Dont know, the ANC is busy covering up and protecting the individual(s).

Im still waiting for names.

Donald,
Without the DA, would you have known there was a problem ? No !

Do you prefer to be kept in the dark ? It's not the DA that's in Government and who should be monitoring and fixing this mess - it's the Minister of Agriculture - who is an ANC member.

Let's look at another scenario : if the ANC was doing their job, we wouldn't have this problem in the first place. It's not a Black/White thing I agree. But it is a question of responsibility. And Government is responsible.

You have just got to love the comments. First off the issue of the LandBank is public knowledge. Many of the looters are about to be or have been charged. Many were fired and it was moved from the Agricultural Ministry to Treasury. FACT.

Land redistribution or Land reform. they are both completely different issues. Our policy is about Land redistribution, not reform. Never was and was never intended to be. The biggest single issue is that usage of the land is not the criteria, and was never intended to be. The problem rests with ownership of the land. If the owners were the individuals, the could leverage the asset, acquire the needed capital and carry on using the land as it was. The largest beneficiary of land so far has been Chiefs and Kings, where patronage for usage becomes the order of the day.

If the individuals were allowed to own the land, they would be able to make the same decision as everyone else, and that is to divest yourself of a non performing asset, pocket the funds and invest in performing assets. Those that could then use or convert these assets into performing assets would then pay, what the assets are worth and gain a return.

You see my friends, it is about usage, not ownership. Pity we spend all our time on politicising ownership, as opposed to usage.

Peter Win
Is the DA not in Governemet? South Africans are sick of hearing about problems.Public representatives should do their work and part of it is supporting South Africans in need.

Clearly the DA has identified a need. Lets solve the problem - just don't sit there pointing fingers.

The ANC has a majority in Govt they are the Govt- there are other rolwe players.

@ 2boy "Fast and Loose with the Facts" TheOne

The Minister of Agriculture is not white, nor even male. If you must know, she is a very competent coloured woman Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson. Not that it should matter.

Silvia

I understand your concerns. Where the government is taking it must compensate by boosting production elsewhere.That is why I say develop the communal farmer. When we were growing up in Zimbabwe the communal farmer was well recognised. Those people who in South African rural areas get grants, in Matebeleland in Zimbabwe (not very good area for maize) do not get the grants, they till the land and keep cattle. Fine most of the times poor rains do them in but food relief is a last resort. The communal farmer in Zimbabwe even prior to the Mugabe's land grab was on her/his way up. Hence if land reform had served among its initial purposes of expanding the communal lands the communal farmers would have eventually succeeded in commercialising their production as they had already done with cash crops like cotton,tobacco, paprika etc and to an extent the surplus of their food crops like maize, millet and sorghum.

Farming and even small scale market gardening are hardwork. They require lots of unsupervised mental,manual labour, discipline and skills acquisition. Above all the willingness to succeed as a farmer not just making money but as a farmer.

No, the DA are NOT in government. They're in parliament, not government. As the official OPPOSITION.

All I can say is I am shocked at comments such as " If they do not want to farm why should they?" We have a growing population to feed you idiots! Or are you planning the normal African tradition of begging for assistance from the West who you hate but will take from.
You will reap what you sow and this will be starvation.

Jon low
The National Parliament is part of Government. Yes the DA is the Opposition.

As the Opposition they should start EARNING their salaries.It is not enough to run around looking at which farms are not producing without assisting or looking at who is buying teddybears.

Its time all Public Reps started earning their salaries.

Jon Low, parliament is part of government.
Also, who is in government in the WCape then, if not the DA ? (Now I'm concerned)
Are there no farms in the WCape that fall into this category ?
Why have the DA not included farms in the WCape in their fact gathering ?
AND 11 farms ???
My goodness.... out of how many ?
Why have they not reported on farms where land reform has worked ?
Surely the DA cannot be all doom and gloom ...

Speechless , don't know what to say. Yes we need farms as our nation is already starving. But I am also in favour of giving the land back. Keep the current farmers and make the "real" land owners partners in the business.That way they will automatically become a BEE partner and get goverment funding! My 2 cents

"Restitution which is the basis of SA land reform is about returning that which was stolen to its rightful owners whether they want to farm or not. As painful as it is the just truth"

I think that is a fair point by William.However the nation must be fed as a first priority. Perhaps the government should work out how much land is needed for productivity and then designate the land accordingly. If the rightful owners who have then been the beneficiaries of land redistribution cant cut the mustard or dont wish to farm then they must be forced to lease or sell to commercial farmers.