AGRI SA REACTS TO ZUMA'S ACCUSATION ON FARM NEGLECT
"In spite of the fact that various senior ANC leaders, under which minister Gugile Nkwinti himself, expressed their recognition of capacity shortages, and problems with corruption and inability in the department, politicians and officials still blame commercial agriculture for failed land reform and transformation in agriculture," says Theo de Jager, deputy president of Agri SA. De Jager reacted to a comment made by President Zuma on 31 May 2012 as contained in his Presidential Budget debate, that was given in Cape Town, in which he accused farmers that farms that are being transferred in terms of the restitution process, are generally in a neglected state.
"It is poor administration and failure to implement land reform programmes in the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform that cause production on land reform farms to fail and not neglect by the previous owners", he said.
According to De Jager administration of the redistribution process is terrible, to such an extent that even a successful black farmer has lost his farm without compensation due to land occupation and has been waiting for a replacement farm, as promised to him by minister Nkwinti, for longer than a year now. There are various cases, especially in the Mooketsi and Tzaneen vicinity, where transactions have been in process for more than a decade.
Furthermore, in the restitution process land owners are offered only 60% of the market value of their land if they are willing to sell their farms, which inhibits any further development on such farms. In such circumstances it cannot be expected of any right-minded person to invest more money, because, naturally, there is no certainty that compensation for this would be given. It is plain irrational to expect farmers to invest more money.
According to De Jager the department has very little expertise and there are no officials with the necessary qualifications or experience as farmer, agricultural economist, land and pasture specialist or financial manager in agriculture who can help beneficiaries of land reform. However, more than enough ex-activists have been appointed in senior positions in the department. This is the most important reason why land reform has failed thus far.
"Until such time as corruption and inability in the department has been erased and competent administrators have been appointed, land reform in SA stands no chance of succeeding", says De Jager.
Statement isseud by Dr Theo de Jager, Deputy President Agri SA, June 5 2012
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