NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
ORAL REPLY
QUESTION 305
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: [No 39-2011] DATE OF PUBLICATION: 15 November 2011
305. Ms H F Matlanyane (ANC) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) Whether his department will reach its target of redistributing 30% of agricultural land by 2014; if not, why not; if so,
(2) whether his department has resources to ensure that (a) the delivery of land to landless persons are improved, (b) backlogs are eradicated and (c) commitments with regard to land restitution are met; if not, what measures does he intend taking to meet these targets; if so, what are the relevant details, in each case? NO4286E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM RESPONDS
(1) The 30% target will not be achieved if the principle of strict production discipline is maintained. Further, to achieve the 30% target by 2014 would cost the country billions of Rands and requires more human resources in the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and key strategic partners.
(2) Yes,
(a) The department is proactively acquiring land under PLAS which is registered in the name of the State and subsequently allows access to this land through lease arrangements. In this way the department is able to provide access to more beneficiaries. Whereas in the past beneficiaries were expected to provide own contribution and often not able to do so due to lack of collateral.
(b) The department is managing to assist as many beneficiaries as can be accommodated by the number of properties acquired in line with the baseline allocation for the specific financial year.
(c) The issue of backlog and commitments is being addressed simultaneously. Firstly with regards to backlogs, the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights is transferring State land to claimants and processing financial compensation claims for payment which have already been approved. Secondly, with regards to land acquisition, land is purchased in cases where land owners are agreeable to selling even if the valuation is more than a year old and in other cases re-valuation of land is commissioned in order to negotiate afresh with land owners.
There will be other cases, where the transactions will not proceed due to reasons beyond our control, for example, where the land owner has subsequently sold land to a third party after approval. In those cases, the claimants are informed accordingly and negotiations with the new land owner are resumed. Thirdly, with regards to suspense account for financial compensation, the beneficiaries are being traced and vouchers are reissued once the beneficiaries are found.
In cases where the beneficiaries are not traceable the funds are recalled. In future only beneficiaries who have come forward to claim his/her approved amount will be paid. The Commission has also embarked on a project to verify each and every commitment made, in order to take informed decisions whether to write off some of the commitments, negotiate afresh or continue with the transactions.
Lastly, a report on the above is due in four months time (March 2012) and can be made available on request. All the available resources are channelled towards reducing backlogs and commitments. The Commission envisages that the backlogs and commitments will be reduced substantially as a result of these measures put in place. For 2011/12, only commitments and backlog claims within the Commission's baseline allocation will be finalized and the remainder will be spread out within the MTEF period.
Issued by Parliament, November 28 2011
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