DAFF senior vacancies adding to hunger epidemic in South Africa 

19 October 2014

In a recent reply to a DA parliamentary question, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Senzeni Zokwana, revealed that there are 664 vacancies in his department, 204 of which are top and senior management level.

63 senior positions have been vacant for over two years and with 1 position remaining unfilled for seven years and nine months. 

These senior positions include:

1. Deputy Director General of Agricultural Production, Health and Food Safety;

2. Director General of Food Security;

3. Chief Engineers;

4. Deputy Director General of Policy, Planning and Monitoring & Evaluation; and

5. Deputy Director of Smallholder Development.

The DA will write to the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Rosina Semenya, to request that she summon Minister Zokwana to account for the high vacancy rates in critical positions that are plaguing this department.

This contributes directly to the department's failure to reach over 90 000 subsistence producers, during the year under review, further compounded by the fact that only 901 small producers were supported. 

A department that is severely understaffed can never reach its set targets and goals. Food security and agrarian reform is but one of six departmental programmes that have consistently failed to achieve targets. Without adequate staff a programme such as food security, as imperative as it is, is not prioritised and we therefore expose more people to the risk of hunger.

Subsistence agriculture can play an important role in reducing the vulnerability of rural and urban food-insecure households, improving livelihoods, and helping to mitigate high food price inflation.

The Minster must as a matter of urgency fill the vacancies within this department as up to 13 million vulnerable South Africans are dependent on the proper functioning of this department for their food security.  

Statement issued by Annette Steyn MP, DA Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, October 19 2014

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter