Hansard: EPC: Debate on Vote No 26 — Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

House: National Assembly

Date of Meeting: 16 Jul 2014

Summary

No summary available.


Minutes

"Old Assembly Main",Unrevised Hansard,07 Aug 2014,"Take 176[Old Assembly Main].doc"

"Old Assembly Main",Unrevised Hansard,16 Jul 2014,"[Take-176] [Old Assembly Main][90P-4-082A][nm].doc"

UNREVISED HANSARD

EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER

Wednesday, 16 July 2014 Take: 176

PROCEEDINGS OF EXTENDED PUBLIC COMMITTEE – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER

_____________

Members of the Extended Public Committee met in the Old Assembly Chamber at 16:35.

House Chairperson Ms A T Didiza, as Chairperson, took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.

APPROPRIATION BILL

Debate on Vote No 26 - Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:

The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, members of the executive councils responsible for agriculture, hon chairperson and members of the portfolio committee, Members of Parliament, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon, sanibonani, molweni, ndi [machoroni]masiari, inhlekanhi, dumelang, goeiedag.

An HON MEMBER: Goeiemiddag! [Good afternoon.]

The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Goeiemiddag. Baie dankie. [Good afternoon. Thank you very much.]

The distinguished father of our nation and former President of the ANC, uTata Nelson Mandela said:

Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity. It is an act of justice. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.

The wellbeing of our nation is measured by the ability to feed the most vulnerable of society. At the moment, we know that 12 million South Africans are food insecure. The question, then, is how a country that managed to fight the evil system of apartheid can find it so difficult to eradicate hunger.


Sixty-two per cent of the electorate mandated the ANC to accelerate the implementation of a radical socioeconomic transformation to push back the frontiers of poverty, unemployment and inequality.

Underpinning this task is the creation of 1 million jobs by 2030 and to transform the country into sustainable economic centres as envisaged by the New Growth Path, NGP, the Industrial Policy Action Plan, Ipap, and the ANC's 2014 Election Manifesto, all of which are encompassed in the overarching National Development Plan, NDP.

We have interpreted the NDP as proposing a number of steps that will improve food security, including the expanded use of irrigation, and security of land tenure, especially for women and the youth. Together, we will see that these ideals are achieved.

Therefore, this 2014-15 Budget Vote is geared towards accelerating the implementation of programmes as identified in the 2014-15 to 2018-19 strategic plan of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. These programmes provide us with the opportunity to make a significant dent in unemployment by creating 1 million jobs.

The President provided us with our marching orders in the state of the nation address when he said:

We have to embark on radical socioeconomic transformation to push back the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality. Agriculture is identified as a key jobs driver, and our target is to create 1 million jobs by 2030. Government will provide comprehensive support to smallholder farmers by speeding up land reform and providing technical, infrastructural and financial support. Support will be provided to communities to engage in food production and subsistence farming to promote food security, in line with the Fetsa Tlala food production programme.

Those of us who are familiar with the Freedom Charter will be able to draw parallels between these commitments and those encapsulated in the founding document.

I am of the view that the success of the implementation of the department's strategic plan for 2014-15 to 2018-19, and the interventions identified in the ANC's election manifesto, can be accelerated through social mobilisation of the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors. In particular, we have to make sure that 1 million hectares of fallow land in rural areas are planted and harvested. This will require mobilising all social forces and strengthening seamless governance between national, provincial and local government and all other relevant cluster departments.

Through earlier interactions with our public entities and sector organisations, my deputy, the hon Gen Bheki Cele, and I have come to realise that a major part of community mobilisation will require of us to make our resources available to all our producers, in particular those who live in remote areas.

Day to day issues in livestock farming call on our public entities to bring vaccines and other services, in particular extension services, closer to those who need them the most. We need to bring our extension officers closer to the people who require their assistance the most. In this regard uMchunu at Msinga must not lose livestock because he cannot not pay for the services of a private vet; this while the state provides extension officers and veterinary services.

We also want to make the point that, since we assumed office, we have held consultative meetings with sector formations, many of whom raised the issue of safety on farms. Stock theft also remains a major issue compounding the business of agriculture and general safety on farms. We acknowledge the efforts and achievements of the Ministry of Safety and Security in dealing with this matter. We will continue engaging the said Ministry in this regard.

The 2014-15 to 2018-2019 Medium-Term Strategic Framework is structured around 14 priority outcomes. Each of these is co-ordinated by a lead department. The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries supports three outcomes, which are Outcome 4 – decent employment through inclusive growth; Outcome 7 – vibrant, equitable, sustainable rural communities contributing towards food security for all; and Outcome 10 – protection and enhancement of environmental assets and natural resources.

Sector interventions push back the frontiers of poverty. The recently released 2014 Statistics South Africa General Household Survey informs us that South Africa currently has 2,4 million households that practice some level of subsistence farming. We have 299 000 smallholder farmers. This represents an increase of 58% in the number of smallholder farmers since 2009.

The survey goes on to say that the number of smallholder farmers that receive any form of support is 43 000, which represents about 26% of all smallholder producers in the country.

It further tells us that, of these, 79% of smallholder farmers rated government support as very useful, 18% as somewhat useful, and 3% as not useful. While Statistics SA's General Household Survey says that quality of support is favoured by most farmers, that 26% of smallholder farmers were reached surely represents a need for greater capacity. This tells us that we need to upscale our programmes to reach and support all smallholder farmers. Working together with MECs, we will channel financial inputs and human resources to broaden our support to reach our smallholders.

To assist smallholder producers, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries transfers a significant portion of its budget to support programmes. These funds are directly transferred to provinces for programmes including the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme, Casp, Ilima/Letsema and LandCare. Casp aims at increasing farm outputs, especially for the beneficiaries of land reform, and at contributing to the Fetsa Tlala food security initiative. It further aims to attract more women and young people to the sector.

Casp has been allocated an amount of R1,8 billion, while an amount of R460 million has been set aside for Ilima/Letsema and R67,8 million for LandCare.

There is a study underway to look into monitoring the impacts of Casp and changes in its approach. Going forward, together with the provinces, we will realign the focus and target of Casp. All of these are grants are aimed at assisting smallholder producers. However, penetration needs to be maximised.

Achieving food security for all citizens is a non-negotiable priority. We are therefore particularly happy with results shown by the 2013 General Household Survey, which reveals that the percentage of households that experienced hunger decreased by 16% between 2002 and 2013.

However, as long as these achievements are mainly attributed to social grants, we must strive for the agricultural food economy to increasingly contribute to decreasing the levels of food insecurity.


This collective sense of purpose is captured in the Food and Nutrition Security Policy, approved in September 2013, which will be championed in earnest together with the Department of Social Development. This policy requires the acceleration of Fetsa Tlala, which is the productive response to food insecurity.

The Maputo Declaration is a call for African governments to commit 10% of their countries' annual budgets to the agriculture sector. In South Africa, a 10% budget would allow us to realise the vision for agriculture, in particular our goals for job creation and feeding our nation.

In line with the Maputo Declaration, we are working on quantifying total public investment in the sector and its impact. Therefpre, we will engage with our colleagues in National Treasury.

Agriculture's contribution to the gross domestic product is approximately 2,7%, which is viewed as far below the capacity of the sector and the levels of agricultural production we wish to see by 2030. The President's pronouncement in the state of the nation address to deliver on 1 million jobs is, however, integrally linked to unlocking the growth potential among key industries in agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Most of these are specified in the NDP, and prioritised in the Agriculture Policy Action Plan.

The fisheries sector forms an important element of the Ocean Economy Strategy. We are anticipating that Operation Phakisa, which is still in incubation, will place marine resources central in the economy. Aquaculture development would ensure that we close the fish protein gap that may have been created by the declining marine capture fish resources. Under Operation Phakisa we plan to grow the aquaculture sector's value from R2 billion, according to our 2010 figures, to up to R6 billion, with the potential job creation of up to 210 000 by 2030.

The Fishing Rights Allocation Process, Frap, of 2013 has been reviewed independently of the department and I have received the final report. I am consulting with the State Attorney's office about the legal feasibility of the various options to institute corrective measures where weaknesses have been identified. I will make an announcement in due course on the path to rectify these anomalies.

We need to ensure that the commercial rights allocation reflects the commitment of government and industry to transform the sector. The implementation of the Small-Scale Fishing Policy will be the second element of transformation to ensure that coastal and fishing communities gain access to marine resources. This should contribute to their livelihood. We are calling upon the fisheries sector to proceed to develop its transformation programme with the facilitation of our department.

The livestock sector plays a crucial role in the economy of resource-poor communities. It is estimated that 40% of livestock in South Africa is owned by black smallholder farmers. In our attempt to accelerate the participation of smallholder producers in the mainstream livestock value chain, we will continue to expand our animal improvement schemes.

However, challenges to growth are further exacerbated by emerging issues, including climate change, as well as diseases and pest outbreaks. In our quest to improve veterinary services in South Africa, we requested the World Organisation for Animal Health to conduct an evaluation of the performance of veterinary services in South Africa. The report was released in May 2014.

At this point, I want to report that, as a department, since 2003, we have placed about 100 graduates in various scarce skills areas. Ten of those graduates have joined the department and eight of them are sitting in the House today. Would they stand and be recognised. [Applause.] Thank you.

We will use the recommendations from the report to further enrich our interventions in the veterinary sphere. To date, interventions include the procurement of 30 mobile veterinary clinics, of which 12 have already been transferred. The remainder will be transferred within the current financial year once the modification of the vehicles has been completed.

Apart from the mobile veterinary clinics, there are other interventions that we have targeted in the veterinary and para-veterinary fields that will assist in ensuring that the sector has access to veterinary services whilst ensuring good biosecurity and job creation. These interventions include the implementation of compulsory community service. This intervention, when implemented, will see 140 newly qualified veterinarians deployed to rural areas and critical service delivery areas in the 2015-16 financial year. The interventions also include the revitalisation of rural infrastructure such as animal health clinics, dipping tanks and other animal handling facilities. Finally, the interventions include the provision of border and animal diseases security requirements, such as personnel, fences, and patrol resources.

The forestry sector presents a more long-term investment opportunity for rural economic development. The transfer of state assets to communities as a viable business model is key to empowering our rural communities.

During 2015, we will host the 14th World Forestry Congress. The congress, which will be the first to be held in Africa, will highlight the mainstreaming of the global agendas on sustainable development as well building new partnerships.

Sustainable management of our natural resources, namely land, soil, water and climate systems are critical for the sustainable use of our resources and food security. The loss of prime agricultural land through degradation and competing demands such as human settlement or mining poses a serious threat to food security and the sector as a whole. To address this challenge, we have formulated a policy and legislative framework, namely the Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Framework. Consultations with all stakeholders are currently under way. These will be followed by a parliamentary consultation process on the draft Bill.

Hon members, South Africa successfully hosted the 3rd Global Conference on Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Security and Climate Change in 2013. The conference reached watershed conclusions such as the establishment of a Global Alliance on Climate-smart Agriculture, which will be launched by the General Secretary of the United Nations this year.

In the trade arena, South Africa has adopted an approach that seeks to find markets for locally produced products. Africa accounts for 32% of our trade and is a growing market for agricultural produce, although it is from a low base as compared to the European markets.

In China we have found a growing market for our agricultural produce. The Department of Trade and Industry has been instrumental in assisting producers in the wine industry with accessing marketing opportunities through international trade fairs in countries like China.

We have agricultural attachés at missions we view as key agricultural trade destinations. We will ensure that their work is refocused and aligned with the new vision in going forward.

We are acutely aware of the current situation regarding our citrus exports to the European Union. Our exports are affected by a disease called citrus black spot and I have engaged with the Minister of Trade and Industry and will be meeting with the Citrus Growers' Association to find solutions to this challenge. However, we urge all farmers to comply with the current European conditions for the import of citrus fruit from South Africa.

The mandate of our department covers the entire value chain of agriculture, forestry and fisheries. It is covered by 31 pieces of legislation, all of whom have been reviewed, with seven of those prioritised for amendment.

I am proud to announce that the department has had five consecutive unqualified audit reports on our financial information. [Applause.] The findings reflect faith in our financial management system. I therefore present this Budget Vote of R6,6 billion for your approval.

In conclusion, let me take this opportunity to thank my wife and my family for their support.

I would like to acknowledge the Deputy Minister, the hon Gen Bheki Cele, for his agility and hard work since assuming office. We have introduced the principle and culture of working as a team and together, we will move Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries forward.

I wish to convey appreciation to my predecessor, Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson, for her leadership.

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): Hon Minister, you have 30 minutes left. [Laughter.]

HON MEMBERS: Thirty seconds!

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): I mean thirty seconds. I really like this sector!


The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: I also wish to thank all our partners in the sector for their warm welcome and commitment to growing the sector. I am confident that, with their enthusiasm, experience and expertise, we will transform the sector and realise radical transformation of the economies of agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

I am also grateful to the portfolio committee members for their guidance and oversight. Thank you very much, re a leboga, baie dankie, merci boucoup. [Time expired.][Applause.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): I thought one got over this sector, but I can see that I am still sympathetic to it. That is why I said "30 minutes" instead of "30 seconds"! My thanks to the hon members for the correction.

Ms M R SEMENYA

UNREVISED HANSARD

EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER

Wednesday, 16 July 2014 Take: 177

"Old Assembly Main",Unrevised Hansard,07 Aug 2014,"Take 177[Old Assembly Main].doc"

"Old Assembly Main",Unrevised Hansard,16 Jul 2014,"[Take-177] [Old Assembly Main][90P-4-082A][nm].doc"

The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES

Ms M R SEMENYA: Hon chair, hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MECs, director-general, political parties and hon members, madekwana [I greet you].

English

The good story goes on and we are all part of it as we endeavour to make it better in our quest for a better life for all for the benefit of our people and the prosperity of South Africa.

We take this opportunity to thank all South Africans for having voted correctly, renewing the mandate of the ANC to govern this beloved country and for entrusting to us the responsibility of those amongst us who are the custodians of changing the course of our country's history. We fully understand just how righteous our case is and how far we have come to be where we are here and now. Let us all draw inspiration from the words of wisdom of one of the greatest thinkers ever to stride the globe, although the ideological position of some of us may be at a variance with the political and economic policies he prescribed.

The eminent revolutionary thinker Karl Marx said that philosophers tried to understand the world. The point, however, is to change it; it did not miss the critical significance of the need for humankind to produce in order that it ensures its survival. He observed: "As individuals produce, so they are." Thus, what they are coincides with what they produce, and not only which they produce, but with how they produce. Consequently, what individuals are depend upon the material conditions of production.

According to the National Policy Imperatives, the National Development Plan, NDP, envisages that small-scale farmers or households should produce a third of food surplus in the country by 2030. This is important for South Africa in order to contribute to maintaining national and household food security.

The main thrust that should inform the plans of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery relates to increased production and productivity through, firstly, increasing land under irrigation; secondly, bringing unutilised land in communal areas into commercial production and, thirdly, supporting commercial production areas with relative comparative advantage for higher growth and employment, amongst others.

The programmes of the department that are addressing this national priority are the following. The Fetsa Tlala integrated food production initiative is aimed at mass production of staple food on fallow land with agricultural potential in communal areas. Ilima/Letsema, which is aimed at supporting sustainable agriculture and promoting rural development for smallholder producers, and the LandCare programme, which is aimed at addressing land degradation problems and encouraging the sustainable use of natural resources.

To boost domestic food production and reduce reliance on imports, the Fetsa Tlala initiative aims to bring an additional 1 million hectares into cultivation by 2019, creating 300 000 jobs. Roughly interpreted, there should be 200 000 ha that are brought into cultivation each year for the next four years. The current financial year's plans of the department reflect this aspect. The department leads and co-ordinates the food security initiatives of government.

The draft food and nutrition security implementation plan must be finalised, particularly informing the programme deliverables of Fetsa Tlala. The current food inflation trends are major issues that must be thoroughly investigated and addressed as this has a direct bearing on food affordability, particularly for poor and vulnerable households.

As regards sectoral policy imperatives, the African Union, AU, Assembly of Heads of State and government have declared the year 2014 the Year of Agriculture and Food Security. This was done to mark the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, CAADP. The 10th anniversary of the CAADP is an important milestone and an opportunity to continue to prioritise agriculture and food security in policy and implementation to generate concrete results and impacts.

The total 2014/2015 budget for the country is over R1,1 trillion, however, the funds allocated to Vote 26, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, only represent 0,6% of the total budget. If indeed the investment plans developed under the CAADP are to be implemented, there still needs to be an increase and efficient spending across all spheres impacted by the sector.

The overarching policy documents guiding the department, which is the Agricultural Policy Action Plan, Fetsa Tlala and the Integrated Growth and Development Plan must be finalised, and aligned with the plans of entities. The department must also finalise and implement the signing of the CAADP compact, and the relevant investment plan. It is important that all the policy instruments are in place, responsive and effective for the needs of the agriculture sector in South Africa. The alignment of all these policy instruments and guiding principles to achieve policy coherence are important to provide a clear policy direction that provides certainty for all stakeholders in the sector.

The plan outlined in the 2014-15 and 2016-17 strategic plans regarding the review of the research agenda and focus area for targeted research and development, and provision of funding thereof by the department must be finalised. This is a positive development and can provide insight into research-based evidence that informs the overarching policy objectives.

The detailed plans that have been developed regarding Strategic Integrated Project, Sip 11, must be contextualised within the broader sectoral and national policy environment. The plans entail the expansion of storage facilities such as silos; fresh produce market facilities; packing houses; transport links to main networks, like rural roads, rail lines, and ports; fencing of farms; irrigation schemes; improved research and development into rural issues, including expansion of agricultural colleges; processing facilities like abattoirs and dairy infrastructure; and forestry and fisheries infrastructure must be finalised for implementation.

About the control and management of plant and animal diseases, the effective management of biosecurity and related risks is critical and requires strengthened effort in terms of import control for food safety. South Africa has grappled with effective control and management of plant and animal diseases, and the subsequent eradication, promotion of veterinary services, food security and animal welfare.

It is important to continue to strengthen the co-ordinated control and management interventions. The regulatory frameworks, domestic control measures, effectiveness of the veterinary extension services in disease awareness and prevention must be reviewed, reinforced and closely monitored. The developments regarding the relative porosity of South Africa's borders must be addressed, as there have been a number of plant and animal health as well as food safety issues due to inadequate border control.

The Veterinary and Para-veterinary Professions Amendment Act, No 16 of 2012, will early in January 2015 usher in the compulsory community service of student veterinarians and veterinary technologists. It is aimed at reinforcing a strong veterinary service component. This is absolutely essential in executing effective surveillance strategies and an efficient response to outbreaks. The state of the preparedness of the department in this regard is crucial, particularly the budgetary implications thereof in terms of human resources, infrastructure, equipment, pharmaceutical supplies, drafting of contracts, etc.

Addressing the above-mentioned issues would complement the success of programmes such as Kaonafatso ya Dikgomo, which was implemented by the department. The Kaonafatso ya Dikgomo project in various provinces is embedded in a pro-poor approach that seeks to alleviate poverty and provide income-generating opportunities for smallholder farmers. Kaonafatso ya Dikgomo has almost 6 000 participants as of January 2014. It has managed to improve productivity indicators such as calving percentage, pre- and post-weaning mortality, as well as improving market access through local auctions and effectively increased market prices for the poorly resourced farmers.

With regard to climate change and disaster management, the effect of climate change will have serious consequences on natural resource management, particularly agricultural production system and global food system in general. Given the intermittent occurrences of natural disasters in South Africa, such as droughts, floods and veld fires, which affect the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors, mitigation and adaptations initiatives, including effective early warning systems, must be developed as a matter of urgency.

As far as transformation and inclusive growth agenda and participation of women and the youth are concerned, the objectives of the Food Security Production Programme must seek to link subsistence and small-scale producers to government institutions such as government schools, public hospitals and prisons. It is necessary to reiterate that subsistence and small-scale farmers can significantly contribute to poverty eradication and improve food security particularly in rural areas and should form part of the farmer development continuum, up until such time that they are fully-fledged commercial farmers who need the minimum of assistance from the state.

The 2014-15 strategic plans of the department indicate those of sectoral information management systems that will provide baseline data for the sector. It is important to clearly define and understand the demand for comprehensive farmer support packages for improved planning, but also for monitoring its impact on transformation. The issues of transformation and inclusive growth are central to radical socioeconomic transformation.

The department oversees two charter councils, the Agriculture Black Economic Empowerment Charter Council and the Forestry Sector Charter Council. The charter councils are mandated to promote entry to and ensure participation of black business in the entire value system of agriculture or food production, with the particular focus on equity and enterprise development.

It is important for the department to develop and initiate a forum that will seek to achieve a similar mandate for the fisheries sector. The impact of programmes that seek to transform the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors must be inclusive of women and the youth, particularly in rural areas, in an effort to reduce poverty levels and ensure food security.

The participation of women and youth cannot be overemphasised. Thank you. [Time expired.][Applause.]

Ms Z JONGBLOED

"Old Assembly Main",Unrevised Hansard,07 Aug 2014,"Take 178[Old Assembly Main].doc"

UNREVISED HANSARD

EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER

Wednesday, 16 July 2014 Take: 178

"Old Assembly Main",Unrevised Hansard,16 Jul 2014,"[Take-178] [Old Assembly Main][90P-4-082A][nm].doc"

Ms M R SEMENYA

Ms Z JONGBLOED: Hon Chair, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members, I am really reassured by the fact that we all seem to be motivated by the same issues, which are eradicating poverty, creating more jobs and ensuring a better life for all people.

Hon Chair, there are two recent developments that have proved damning for the South African fishery industry. The first was the report by the Public Protector on allegations of a dodgy tender to Sekunjalo Marine Services Consortium by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The second was the abandonment of the flawed 2013 Fishing Rights Allocation Process.

The report on docked vessels must still be formally tabled and considered by this committee. But, the Public Protector has been ignored yet again. Not a single official, let alone the previous Minister, was sanctioned in any way for massive failures that resulted, inter alia, in the failed 2013 Fishing Rights Allocation Process, the decimation of our fish stocks due to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' inability to protect them and the huge amounts wasted in repairing vessels that were in perfect working order when they were handed to Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Navy on 31 March 2012. [Interjections.]

The deputy director-general, has now indicated that all the patrol vessels are back at sea, which is exactly what the DA has been fighting for. While the deputy director-general was telling the committee that all the vessels were out at sea, the SAS Sarah Baartman was lying at anchor in the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront harbour. I must add that the team of people on the Sarah Baartman managed to arrest two poaching vessels. Then something went wrong and the vessel is back in port to be repaired.

South Africa's premier research vessel, the Africana, has possibly been ruined beyond repair. Mr Mannya had stated that the age of the 30-year-old vessel was a problem and that a decision would soon have to be taken whether to replace it. The Africana's age is irrelevant. At least it was when we had a credible and professional company managing our R1 billon fleet of research and patrol vessels. This vessel should have had at least another 10 years of uninterrupted service had it not been destroyed by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' and the Navy's incompetence.

What Mr Mannya didn't tell us is that the National Treasury previously refused funding for a replacement vessel. This means that for now the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' research capacity, in respect of our most important fisheries, will depend on the availability of the South African fishing industry to provide commercial vessels to help out, or we run the risk of losing our hard-won Marine Stewardship Council ecolabel and access to North American and European Union markets for our fish. Can you imagine the impact on our economy and jobs if we lose access to those markets?

Secondly, putting the patrol vessels back at sea is one thing. The key question is how much we are spending on each vessel and how many days they will effectively be spending offshore. Patrol vessels must be at sea, strategically patrolling, and not rotting in the harbour. I agree with the government's policy to look after subsistence and small-scale fisher communities, but the only way to properly empower local fishers is to allocate sustainable fishing rights to them in their own names rather than in the names of the fancy co-operatives, which have historically proved to be a massive failure, and continue to fail.

The key management philosophy underpinning all successful small-scale fisheries around the world is the Territorial User Rights Fishery system, Turf, which ensures that right-holders are allocated sustainable fishing rights for a long-term period and right on their doorsteps. They are also involved directly in the management of these fish stocks. Co-operatives have proven to only lead to resource destruction, community conflict and corruption. Why is it, then, that we continue to insist on adopting a system of fisheries management that is a proven failure?

In addition, our focus must not be on the continuous divvying up of fishing quotas to more and more people, making these quotas unsustainable and a tool for illegal fishing. [Interjections.] We must heed the warnings of the National Development Plan, which instructs us to halt the unsustainable division of the current fish pie into minuscule pieces that do not assist in poverty reduction, job creation and promoting investment. If we are to truly commit to the ongoing transformation of our fishing sector, we must look to investing in new fisheries and expanding the current number of 22 commercial and small-scale fisheries to at least 25 by 2015. Why has the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries not opened a single new commercial fishery since 2004? Why has the experimental octopus fishery been an ongoing experiment for more than eight years?

Why is the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries refusing to invest substantial resources in mackerel fishery to finally determine a viable and sustainable Total Allowable Catch, TAC, as opposed to the ongoing annual declarations of maximum precautionary catch limits? The Namibian horse mackerel TAC currently exceeds 300 000 tons. South Africa's limit has been stagnant at 40 000 tons. Why? How many jobs have we sacrificed? How many black investors have we excluded from this very high-value fishery?

The DA supports a substantial mind-set shift away from decimating our current fisheries to add more and more unsustainable and uneconomic rights. We will fight for the declaration of new and expanded fisheries, including a sustainable, but larger, TAC for the horse mackerel fishery, a new small-scale commercial herring fishery and a commercial octopus fishery. This will give tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of right-holders sustainable access to our fisheries sector without threatening current investments and denying one person to accommodate another.

In addition, the DA will press for the immediate halt of the current destructive patronage system that has reduced our fishing harbours to the current uneconomic and appalling state in which they are. We believe that we can urgently and immediately empower coastal communities such as the people of Hout Bay with a community-based mussel and oyster-harvesting fish farming project in the harbour itself. But, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries refuses to remove the fleet of sunken boats from the harbour, and ANC cronies like Timothy Jacobs and his pals control access to the harbour and its resources. The abandoned Oceana factory and other spaces in the harbour could also be used to develop small-scale tilapia farms and grow-outs.

However, the bigger issue, hon Minister, is the small-scale fisheries programme, its implementation, the cost thereof and the unrealistic expectations being created in coastal communities. There are simply not enough near-shore resources to meet the huge expectations that have been created in coastal communities. Add to this the department's lacking co-operatives to process and market people's allocations and you have a recipe for disaster. Co-ops as an empowerment tool is just another name for collectivisation leading to contrived communities with little in common.

I would like to know why the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is paying lip service to caring for coastal communities. This committee decided in 2012, after public hearings on the transformation of the fishing industry, that co-ops must be avoided. Our history tells us that co-ops in fisheries are a recipe for failure, corruption, resource destruction and community conflict. [Applause.]

The DA believes that co-operatives allow illegal activities to be shielded from scrutiny and accountability. And now we have example after example, from Hondeklipbaai to Kleinmond, Mount Pleasant to Stanford. At Doringbaai, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' flagship co-op is a massive failure, conflict-ridden, with no bank account, no record of income and expenses, no taxes being paid and ongoing poverty. In Langebaan, just an hour's drive from Cape Town, fishing rights holders are suffering under what points to poor governance, at the least, or possible corruption and maladministration in the name of co-operative management by Coastal Links and Masifundise. [Interjections.]

Possible illegal action include unilateral removal of the names of relief fishers from the official relief lobster list; refusing rights holders access to contracts concluded in their names; refusal to hold proper annual general meetings, refusing right-holders the right to harvest their own catch and turning them into mere paper quota-holders. We need to get Sulene Smith of Coastal Links Langebaan to come and explain to this committee.

The recent 2013 Frap process threw the industry into disarray; left thousands of previous right-holders unemployed and without the ability to provide for their families; and forced people to fish on exemption. Each interim relief right is worth less than R2 000 a month in income, which is why poaching and the illegal fishing of lobster is so huge. The average woman employed to clean fish in a fish factory earns at least three times this amount.

Why are you forcing people into poverty? Interim relief is nothing more than a mechanism to promote the enrichment of a few connected community representatives and middlemen to the detriment of thousands. We need to stop these interim relief handouts. What we need are the sustainable commercial alternatives that I have just detailed.

Afrikaans:

Die agb President Jacob Zuma het belowe om korrupsie uit te roei. Indien dit so is, hoekom word die voormalige waarnemende hoof van vissery, mnr Desmond Stevens, aan wie die gemors met die Visvangregte Assesseringspaneel, oftewel FRAP, toegedig word, nie aangekla nie, of word hy, in lyn met die ANC se gewoonte, herontplooi? Hoe kan mense toegelaat word om soveel moeilikheid en ongerief te veroorsaak sonder dat daar enige sanksie, enige gevolge, enige ondersoek is?

Ten opsigte van die maatskappy Outsourced Risk and Compliance Assessment (Pty) Ltd, ORCA, aan wie 'n kontrak van R9 miljoen toegeken is om die Frap-proses te bestuur, wil die DA graag weet of die Departement van Landbou, Bosbou en Visserye die maatskappy dagvaar. Hoe is dit moontlik dat mense met die regte politieke bande visvangregte gekry het, en niemand ondersoek dit nie?

English:

How can the people of this country reconcile such blatantly nepotistic action with a commitment to stamp out corruption if the ones behind this are still working for the government? There are huge concerns and uncertainty about the implementation of the small-scale fisheries programme. The devil is in the detail, but nobody is giving the details.

For proper implementation all stakeholders should actually be consulted on draft policies, the proposed rights allocation process, application fees, etc, and then finalised via section 85 of the Constitution, through calling for applications and then deciding these applications in terms of lawful, transparent and fair decision-making processes.

Listen to this. As part of the plan to empower fishermen, the Department of Trade and Industry has been dishing out boats like lucky packets, without putting mechanisms in place to put them to sea and to keep them there. I have spoken to the chief executive officer of a big fishing company and he told me that the fishermen, because they do not have the money or petrol or whatever needed to go to the sea, are selling these boats part by part to big companies. [Interjections.] Why did the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries not bother to speak to the fishermen themselves before embarking on such a shockingly useless and expensive exercise?

Hon Chair, I've noticed that the hon Deputy Minister, "shoot-to-kill" Cele, continues to call himself general. [Time expired.][Applause.]

Mr B D JOSEPH

UNREVISED HANSARD

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Wednesday, 16 July 2014 Take: 179

"Old Assembly Main",Unrevised Hansard,16 Jul 2014,"[Take-179] [Old Assembly Main][90P-4-082A][nm].doc"

Ms Z JONGBLOED

Afrikaans:

Mnr B D JOSEPH: Goeiedag agb Voorsitter, agb Minister, agb generaal, agb lede teenwoordig, sowel as die besoekers in die gallery, dit is vir my 'n voorreg om die volgende toespraak te lewer.

English:

Hon Chairperson, for agricultural purposes, you need access to arable land and for fishing we need access to the sea. The majority of our people today do not have access to arable land for agricultural purposes. Since 1994 more than a million farm workers have been evicted and this continues up until today.

The majority of our people do not have access to fishing rights. They have no fishing rights to be able to access the sea to fish for both selling and food at home. Agriculture contributes less than 5% of the gross domestic product of the country. This alone makes this sector a perfect candidate for public ownership.

Our country suffers gross food insecurity, with up to 40% of our people being affected. Agriculture has the potential to create millions and millions of jobs in South Africa, but in the current situation that is not possible.

The National Development Plan, NDP, submits that agriculture has the potential to create 1 million jobs by 2030. Just note that I have heard today that there will be 300 jobs until 2019.But, we are saying that if our people are not able to access the land and water, this will remain just but a pipe dream.

As EFF, we will give free farming implements to ordinary farmers ... [Interjections.][Laughter.] ... so that they need not go about their business of farming with difficulty. Current small-scale chicken farmers are not getting any support from government and therefore they are unable to succeed in their endeavours.

The current government is not doing enough to encourage and support subsistence farming, which is equally important to deal with hunger, especially in poor households. Subsistence farming will also promote the health status of our people and, therefore, it must be encouraged and supported.

Support for hawkers who sell vegetables and meat is not visible and your department is not doing anything, especially in terms of business and financial management. The Forest Sector Charter is not aggressive enough in terms of extending economic opportunities and benefits of the forest sector to previously disadvantaged black groups. Our people should be able to become shareholders in the forestry industry because this business is conducted on the land of the people of South Africa.

As it stands, there are no tangible programmes to empower black women and youth throughout all the crucial agricultural activities relating to farming within the department. These groups should be prioritised and empowered as they were previously marginalised. The current government is not doing any of these things.

We would like to provide the following solutions to the Minister and to the department. [Interjections.] [Applause.] The expropriation of land without compensation should be considered so that we are able to distribute the land equally to our people. [Applause.]

Afrikaans:

Ons het reeds uitgereik na die "government" met ons 6%.

English:

We call for a moratorium on all evictions from farms. We say that farm workers should be paid a minimum wage of R5 000 a month. It is unlike ... [Time expired.]

Mr I M OLLIS: Chairperson, sorry, could you please instruct the people in the gallery over there to stop clapping and cheering during the debate.

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): Thank you very much for the reminder.

Ms D KOHLER-BARNARD: Chairperson, if I may, I am afraid the gentlemen up there have been making very aggressive hand movements towards us on the suggestion that they should not be allowed to participate. Perhaps you could have them ejected. [Interjections.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): Our guests in the gallery are not supposed to participate in the debates. You can listen to hon members, but you are not supposed to participate in the debate. Sorry, you are not hon members. You are guests until you are elected to the House. So, we will ask that you respect the decorum of the House.

Mr M HLENGWA

UNREVISED HANSARD

EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER

Wednesday, 16 July 2014 Take: 179

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza)

Mr M HLENGWA: Hon Chairperson, it has been said many a time that we stand on the shoulders of our predecessors in the continued cycle of life, but in this case, of course, in the discourse of governance, to be specific, the legacy of this department and its relationship with the portfolio committee and Parliament is at best disastrous. And the previous political leadership ran this department into the ground and undermined the portfolio committee by regrettable measure.

Therefore, hon Minister, we now look to you as a new broom to sweep clean the mess of the past and restore a healthy and conducive working relationship, in the interests of checks and balances, accountability and transparency between Parliament and the department. The IFP is mindful of the leadership transition in the department, and also in keeping with our commitment to the principles of constructive opposition, the IFP will support this Budget Vote.

Hon Minister, I urge you not to stand on the shoulders of your predecessor. We will support efforts geared towards the revitalisation of the agriculture industry to give rise to job creation, poverty eradication, hunger alleviation, nation-building and social cohesion. The department is strategically well-positioned to be a worthy vehicle in which we can travel as we strive to get South Africa working.

South Africa is faced with an ever-increasing problem, or challenge, the serious inability to create jobs. The agriculture industry is a key job driver and an economic growth and development catalyst, which must begin to create new progressive links with the education sector to solicit the necessary skills, knowledge and expertise for young people to be active participants in agriculture. Surely, the land, particularly farms, that has been redistributed must be utilised better.

The skills development and transfer agenda must be a top priority for the department because South Africa has a dual agricultural economy. One part concentrates on commercial farming and exports and the other part on subsistence farming for the citizens and families in rural areas.

South Africa is among the very few countries with the capability of exporting food on a regular basis largely due to our summer season coinciding with the winters in a number of the wealthy nations of the world.

However, for us to be globally competitive and take serious advantage of these seasonal booms, we need to ensure that our farming expertise, farming infrastructure, foodstuffs, produce and animal products are of a globally acceptable standard.

The IFP strongly believes in the philosophy of self-help and self-reliance and therefore subsistence farming, and the establishment therefore of agricultural co-operatives and small, medium and micro enterprises, MMMEs, must take centre stage. The grants allocation of the department should be geared towards sustainable agricultural growth and not give rise to a culture of dependency. Let us give small farmers a hand up and not a handout, through the provision of tractors, and other farming equipment, tools and hardware to promote successful subsistence farming practices within rural areas in order to ensure food security.

Hon Chairperson, South Africa has one of the largest man-made forestry resources on the planet. Thirteen percent of our surface area can be used for crop farming and production. We are the tenth largest producer of sunflower oil. Our wine industry is world class. We have an abundance of arable land. The list of our agricultural strengths is endless. But what has been lacking is political will.

Hon Minister, you are now called upon by our dire economic, hunger and unemployment straits to politically man up and get things done. And I repeat, hon Minister, do not stand on the shoulders of your predecessors. A working agricultural industry will mean a working South Africa, jobs for all; jobs in our lifetime. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

Mr S C MNCWABE

UNREVISED HANSARD

EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER

Wednesday, 16 July 2014 Take: 179

Mr M HLENGWA

Mr S C MNCWABE: Hon Minister of the department, the Deputy Minister, hon Chairperson of the session, members of the committee, distinguished guests, the NFP believes that agriculture is the wealth of our nation left to us by our forefathers from generation to generation.

It has been the source of life for millions of our rural people. It has been the source of income for many families. It is for this reason that the NFP suggests that although a lot has been done to uplift the agricultural sector in our county, a huge task remains to be done to improve this sector by providing more skills as well as financial support for rural emerging farmers and rural communities in general who still rely on this sector for their survival.

Livestock farming also continues to be a crucial category in this sector. That is why the NFP supports the department's initiative of distributing mobile veterinary clinics, especially in rural areas. The livestock farmers in this country suffer most as a result of animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth and these must be contained. The department, on its presentation to the portfolio committee, indicated that approximately 70% of the land in this country is degraded, which, according to them, translates to approximately 800 000 hectares.

The department further states that its focus for the current financial year will be to rehabilitate approximately 30 000 hectares of the agricultural land. As the NFP, we do not believe that this would be enough. Thirty thousand hectares for the whole country is clearly not enough. More should be done to reach at least a target of 100 000 hectares. We believe this is not impossible if the necessary skills and funding are allocated.

Finally, the NFP urges the department to come up with more exciting programmes to attract the youth so that they would consider the agricultural sector as a means of employment. Having considered what the Minister has said today regarding the youth and agricultural science students, the NFP is still concerned, Minister, that about 400 graduates of agricultural studies in KwaZulu-Natal have been working as temporary staff for the department in that particular province from the year 2010 to date and they are only earning R3 500 a month, with no benefits.

Marcus Hadebe of the uMzinyathi District in KwaZulu-Natal is among those graduates who see no bright future in this sector if the department does not attend to this and change it. The NFP supports the budget as proposed. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES

UNREVISED HANSARD

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Wednesday, 16 July 2014 Take: 180

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"Old Assembly Main",Unrevised Hansard,16 Jul 2014,"[Take-180] [Old Assembly Main][90P-4-082A][nm].doc"

Mr S C MNCWABE

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Hon Chair, the Minister and other Ministers present, the Chair and members of the portfolio committee, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I just want to urge Ms Z Jongbloed not to fall in love with me because my wife is here. [Laughter.] Please don't fall in love; my wife is here and she is young and beautiful. [Laughter.] [Applause.]

Our policies for transformation are clear. To illustrate the sense of our Budget Vote today, I wish to draw attention to the well-known proverb that goes: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

The aforementioned scenario obliges us to vigorously drive the transformation of the sector so that our people no longer remain on the periphery of the sector. We know it is not going to be easy; resistance to this is huge. The department will be hard at work to ensure that this noble vision is accelerated.

This calls for the review of our policy and regulatory framework to create an environment enabling inclusive growth, job creation, food security and rural economic development by taking your land. {interjections.] As a further illustration, we know that the number of commercial farms that are primarily agricultural has declined from almost 120 000 in 1950 to around 29 000 currently. This decline has been accompanied by a commensurate increase in average farm size and change in the technology mix of farms.

As farms grow larger, they tend to rely less on labour and more on capital assets such as mechanisation. While different branches of agriculture have distinct characteristics, the overall trend has been one of job loss both in terms of permanent and seasonal jobs. This phenomenon of increasing farm size and declining farm employment is common to developed countries, but anomalous to a developing country like ours. In developed countries, the phenomenon always coincides with the growing scarcity of labour because of more attractive opportunities elsewhere in the economy. In South Africa, however, it is happening amid the deepening problem of rural unemployment and unemployment generally.

Redressing the problem requires interventions that would encourage the fuller use of land within commercial farming areas; broaden market participation to include the growing number of smallholder producers and promote a better balance between large-scale commercial farms and smallholder farms via land reform and development within the former homelands. Eighty two million hectares are in the hands of about 35 000 human beings in South Africa. That cannot be allowed to continue. [Applause.] We are therefore particularly happy that the general household survey shows a 58% increase in the number of smallholder farmers since 2009.

A key element of both poverty and inequality is unemployment, which in turn leads to food insecurity. It is both a cause as well as a consequence of poverty and inequality. In this light, we support the policy perspective and sector mandate stated by the Minister, which is to strive for greater inclusivity of the markets to facilitate the creation of more job opportunities.

We therefore want to focus our comments on how to do this.The implementation of the National Development Plan, NDP, will, however, only happen successfully if it is shared with and owned by our people. We must allow communities to play an active role in decisions that affect their lives.

We want to suggest that the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment will not be overcome through mere state machinery. Instead, the shift towards inclusive economic growth requires community participation and more participatory democracy if you like it that way. As much as we need radical economic transformation, we simultaneously need to transform the dynamics and structures of interaction between our government and the people. The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries sees social mobilisation and advocacy as a key tool for effective government plans.

Our approach will be targeting women and the youth. The passion, success and commitment of black farmers in agriculture were systematically eroded through colonialism and apartheid interventions. As Africans and the youth, in particular, were forced into endangered labour, it dehumanised and dissuaded the youth from working in agriculture. [Interjections.]

Twenty years into democracy, remnants of colonialism and apartheid are still apparent in the sector. As such, most youth think of agriculture as oppressive, hard labour with low wages and no room for career advancement. That must change. [Applause.] [Interjections.] Getting youth to realise the multiple and diverse economic and career opportunities can radically change the image and face of agriculture. We will establish partnerships with knowledge-based institutions such as schools, colleges and universities, youth formations and churches to create awareness that agriculture is the sector of the future.

My Minister and I have already engaged with public entities that have lacked an enabling environment to make sure that agriculture works and develops. One of those is Onderstepoort Biological Products, which prides itself on producing the best vaccines for animals in South Africa. At least we are leading on this front. People are forever saying South Africa is bad; we are good at this one.

The Agricultural Research Council is positioned to be the most prestigious research institute on the continent. Its role is that of innovation and product development. The National Agricultural Marketing Council is also working hard to make sure that our markets are open, working and enabling agriculture. The Perishable Products Export Control Board also works very hard to make sure ...

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): Hon Deputy Minister, can you please pause.

Mr J L MAHLANGU: Hon Chair, on a point of order: In terms of the Rules of the House, members are not allowed to interrupt the speakers. That hon member over there continues to do so. [Interjections.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): Thank you, hon Mahlangu. Hon members, can we respect the person who is on the podium. When we interject, we can interject within the debate, but not to such a degree that the speaker cannot make his point and be heard. Thank you. Hon Deputy Minister, proceed.

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Hon Chairperson, the hon Comrade J L Mahlangu must not follow those who are going to the asylum. It will not be very clear if he is also sick when he follows those who are sick to the asylum. Keep quiet, and stay away from those who are mad. [Laughter.]

The agricultural sector will have to work on the gross domestic product, GDP, and make sure that it provides jobs. Having warned hon Ms Jongbloed not to fall in love with me, I would love to take this opportunity to thank my beautiful wife. I will introduce her to you as you leave, so that you can see that you don't have a chance. [Laughter.] I will introduce her. Thembeka is also seated up there; she has given a lot of support to us and I would like to ... [Interjections.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): Hon members ... Do you want to raise a point of order, hon member?

Ms S P KOPANE: Hon Chairperson, I rise on a point of order. I just wanted to find out what the Minister is saying. Is it related to the budget?

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): Order! Hon members, the Deputy Minister was coming to the end of his speech and, therefore, thanked his wife and then, in jest ... [Interjections.] Wait, wait, wait! In jest, after thanking his wife, he said he would introduce his wife to hon Jongbloed, whom he had warned earlier not to fall in love with him. [Interjections.]

Mr I M OLLIS: Madam Chair, I rise on a point of order.

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): Hon members - before you raise your point of order, hon member - I do appreciate that there is a lot humour in the debate. However, we need to be cautious that some of the statements we make are not seen as being insensitive, particularly along the gender line. This is a warning to all of us, because I don't think the Deputy Minister is the only one who was joking. I have heard some jokes in this House. From yesterday interesting jokes have been made by members. Again, as I say, I don't think there was anything unparliamentary, but this is just a warning to all of us to be sensitive. Thank you very much. You have just 30 seconds to finalise.

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Hon Chairperson, I am rounding up.

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): You have 30 seconds, hon Deputy Minister.

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: I want to thank the Minister for his sound and mature leadership, all the stakeholders of the Department of Agriculture, the director-general, the senior staff and the rest of the staff in the department, my friends and my colleagues. [Laughter.] [Interjections.] Thank you very much. [Time expired.][Applause.]

Mr C H M MAXEGWANA

UNREVISED HANSARD

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Wednesday, 16 July 2014 Take: 181

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"Old Assembly Main",Unrevised Hansard,16 Jul 2014,"[Take-181] [Old Assembly Main][90P-4-082A][nm].doc"

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES

Mr C H M MAXEGWANA: Hon House Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, departmental officials and members of the portfolio committee, and distinguished guests, I'll start by conveying my condolences to the Ntwanambi family. The former Chief Whip of the NCOP, the deputy president of the ANC Women's League and member of the ANC, mother, wife and grandmother of that family, may her soul rest in peace.

I want to begin by stating that the ANC supports this budget. [Applause.] My area of focus will be the fisheries industry and I want to start by saying the National Development Plan, the New Growth Path, and the ANC manifesto, all these documents of the ANC, have informed the committee and guided it on how to deal with the matter of fisheries.

The South African fisheries sector is divided into marine and inland fisheries, which are further divided into smaller areas of capture, aquaculture and, to a lesser extent, cultural fisheries. The capture fisheries are subdivided into commercial, sport and recreational - which we are not that big on. What is important is subsistence or small-scale fisheries.

In this coming five years, we want to ensure that small-scale fisheries grow to commercial fisheries level. Marine fisheries are more developed and have structured regulatory and legislative instruments. Fisheries play a crucial role in terms of jobs, livelihoods and sustainability in many coastal and inland communities. This is in line with the NDP, NGP, and the ANC's objectives.

I want to say that marine fisheries or the commercial sector is a monopoly of big business, and because of that fact, I think, it is terrain that most don't want to touch. The marine fishing industry currently employs directly and indirectly about 127 000 people and is valued at R7,5 billion annually. These job figures may mean something else if you break them down in terms of salaries and wages. Yes, there are jobs, but in terms of salaries and wages this may be something else. There are more than 7 300 subsistence and small-scale fishers and 137 marine fishing communities, of whom approximately 53% are food insecure. This is the area that we want to focus on as the ANC government.

Employment figures and information on the value of freshwater aquaculture is scarce and poorly documented, however, marine aquaculture employs more than 1 600 permanent employees and is valued at R379 million.

The Working for Fisheries programme contributes to developing skills and gaining applicable experience in the work that forms part of the core mandate of the branch. Let me just say, this is Working for Fisheries, while there are also Working for Fire programme, the Working for Water programme as well as in many others within this sector. Between the 2010-11 and 2013-14 financial years, the department created 4 178 jobs under the Working for Fisheries programme. [Applause.]

The Working for Fisheries programme is expected to facilitate the creation of job opportunities in coastal and rural communities through the implementation of various projects under this programme. Over the medium term, the Working for Fisheries programme is allocated R203 million and is expected to create about 3 500 job opportunities. This is progress. This is what the ANC government is doing.

To realise transformation in the fishing sector to benefit previously disadvantaged people, there is a need on the part of the department to fast-track its programmes and plans and also prioritise matters that pertain to patrol and research vessels, as well as the implementation of small-scale fishing.

I know this is the pet subject of some of the members who participate in the committee, but hon Jongbloed must remember that she participates in the committee and, in terms of vessels, the information from the department is there and it is very clear. So, she must not come here and pretend that she doesn't have that information. [Interjections.]

The branch has two fisheries research vessels ... [Interjections.] ... if you could listen to me - and four patrol vessels with the primary mandate of conducting scientific research that informs and guides the sustainable use of marine fisheries resources as well as ensuring compliance with and enforcement of fisheries laws. I know that all these things are addressed by the ANC, and problems of this nature in terms of vessels may not occur in future.

In conclusion ... [Interjections.] ... in order to realise the integrated and inclusive rural economy, the fisheries sector must be fully transformed, its small-scale component as well as its infrastructure and capacity developed to ensure that they become commercial fisheries. They must not remain small-scale. This will enable the sector to contribute meaningfully to the South African economy. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

Mr M L FILTANE

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UNREVISED HANSARD

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"Old Assembly Main",Unrevised Hansard,16 Jul 2014,"[Take-182] [Old Assembly Main][90P-4-082A][nm].doc"

Mr C H M MAXEGWANA

Mr M L W FILTANE: Hon Chair and the Ministry, in the previous term the department achieved very little insofar as its core business is concerned. That is not a secret. The core business of this department - let us not mince words – is to ensure food security for all South Africans. That is its core and my judgement is based on that. Statistics SA reported in August 2013 that 21,5% of people in South Africa have been suffering severe, inadequate access to food as of 2012. In the Eastern Cape that figure translates into 1,3 million people out of 6,2. Eleven percent, or 5,6 million, of South Africans are actually experiencing hunger as we speak now.

Minister, you are challenged to change this situation. Currently the department is mired in operational and policy-related problems, as were declared by your reports. To compound the situation, it has a totally new Ministry. This has left the door wide open for established practitioners in farming, fisheries and forestry to just maintain the status quo.

The charters are not being operationalised. We actually discussed this as a committee. They are there. The Forestry Charter as well as the fisheries are just there as policies. Currently, more than half of smallholder households live below the poverty datum line. How can they be of help to anybody if they themselves are struggling?

The department is currently unable to prevent the exploitation of marine reserves. That deserves immediate attention. The fiasco with fisheries permits is well documented and published; no solution yet, just plans.

In conclusion, the Eastern Cape has all the potential to be the food basket of South Africa, but the Ncera Farms programme is collapsing. I do understand that attention has been given to this matter and we want to commit our support as the UDM for revitalising that scheme.

In conclusion, please fast-track the partnership between communities and the established practitioners in each of the three categories, forestry, fisheries and the like.

You have to ask yourself this question, Minister: Do I have the right mix of entities at the moment? You need to revisit that question. You may be having four or five entities, but are they the right mix. We support the budget subject to the department attending to those challenges. Thank you. [Applause.]

Dr P J GROENEWALD

UNREVISED HANSARD

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Wednesday, 16 July 2014 Take: 182

Mr M L W FILTANE

Afrikaans:

Dr P J GROENEWALD: Agb Voorsitter, ek het die fout gemaak om na die agb Minister se voorganger, ten tyde van haar eerste toespraak, as die "rain queen" vir die boere te verwys. Ek was heeltemaal verkeerd. Op die ou end was sy maar eintlik net 'n "drama queen".

Ek wil vir die agb Minister sê hy het nie 'n slegte toespraak gemaak nie. Die amptenare het 'n goeie toespraak vir hom geskryf. Ek weet ek kan nie die agb Minister verantwoordelik hou vir die foute wat sy voorganger gemaak het nie.

Maar, agb Minister, u kollega, die Adjunkminister, het netnou verwys na apartheid en kolonialisme, en dat dit een van die redes is dat daar swak salarisse op plase betaal word, en dat die jeug nie in die landbou belangstel nie. Maar, waar u verantwoordelik is, agb Minister, is dat u u werkers R26 per dag betaal. Kry u nie skaam nie? Ek het nie gehoor dat u daarvoor verskoning vra nie. Watter voorbeeld stel u vir die jeug - u wat nou die Minister van Landbou is? Dit, terwyl u by die mynbase meer as 'n miljoen rand 'n jaar gekry het. Ek dink dit is skandalig. U behoort onmiddelik verskoning te vra, en u het vanmiddag weer 'n geleentheid.

Die ander aspek is u kollega, die agb Thandi Modise. [Interjections.] Agb Minister, sy is nou aangekla vir 'n oortreding van dieremishandeling, maar daar is een wet waarvoor sy nog nie aangekla is nie en dit is die Vuurwet. Want, om in oorhaastigheid van die bewyse ontslae te raak, is 'n veldbrand veroorsaak wat ander boere se plase bedreig het. Twee honderd hektaar het afgebrand omdat die vereistes van die Nasionale Wet op Veld- en Bosbrande nie nagekom is nie. U moet toesien dat dit nagekom word en dat sy aangekla word daarvoor.

Ek het al 'n vorige keer in die Parlement gesê om te boer, maak jou nie ryk nie. Om te kan boer, moet jy verantwoordelik wees, jy moet kan bestuur, jy moet toegewyd wees en ek wil vandag vir u sê dit vereis baie geld.

Ek wil vir die agb Adjunkminister sê hy het gesê dat hy plaasmoorde 'n prioriteit gaan maak.Die VF Plus ondersteun u daarin. Ons verwelkom dit, maar nou wil ek by u weet, is dit propagandapraatjies, of is u ernstig? U was die Nasionale Kommissaris van Polisie, en ek het al hoeveel keer vir u persoonlik in komitees gevra om plaasmoorde 'n prioriteitsmisdaad te verklaar, om dit te verklaar, en om weer die statistiek vir plaasmoorde bekend te maak. U was in die beste posisie ooit om dit te kon doen toe u die Kommissaris van Polisie was, en u het dit nie gedoen nie. Hoekom nie?

Watter geloofwaardigheid moet ek nou aan u heg as u sê u gaan dit nou 'n prioritiet maak? Dit, terwyl die polisie se eie verslag oor plaasmoorde gesê het dat transito-rooftogte 'n prioriteitsmisdaad is, want u sien daar is mos baie geld daarby betrokke. Die verslag het gesê dat die kanse dat 'n boer – en ek praat van wit en swart boere; nou onlangs is 'n swart boerefamilie op hul plaas aangeval – vermoor of beseer kan word, is drie keer meer as in die geval van 'n transito-rooftog. Maar u het geswyg soos die graf. Dit is tyd dat u doen wat u sê. Ek dank u. [Applous.]

Ms D CARTER

UNREVISED HANSARD

EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER

Wednesday, 16 July 2014 Take: 182

Dr P J GROENEWALD

Ms D CARTER: Chairperson, a leader may be defined as a person who rules, guides and inspires. Minister Joemat-Pettersson has left behind the legacy of ineptitude, corruption and impunity. Issues, many of whom still remain unresolved are the Public Protector's report on the Sekunjalo Tender; bungling of fishing rights; instigation of farm workers at De Doorns; we can go into the food insecurity; the Makhathini Flats; and the dumping of potato as well as chicken into this country. Can South Africa expect better leadership after the redeployment of Minister Joemat-Pettersson?

According to the National Development Plan, NDP, agriculture has the potential to create 1 million jobs by 2030. This promise was made in 2009, and it could have been done within a year. In fact, the sector lost jobs. But if we want to, South Africa could expand irrigated agriculture, which we need. We have to use underused land in communal areas in terms of the NDP and support the agricultural sectors and regions that have high potential for growth and employment.

These are lofty ideals. The question is whether the President and his executive will show the leadership and the bravery to give effect to them.

The proposal for discussion tabled by Minister Nkwinti is that farmers, black and white, will be expected to forfeit 50% of their farms. Just to give the Deputy Minister the statistics, an estimated 36 000 farmers in South Africa are providing food for 95% of South Africans, whilst 2,3 million small-scale farmers are providing the other 5%.

We must stop gambling with agriculture. One out of four children in our country is going to bed at night without having had a meal or any food. Many farmers are already considering mechanisation. This will lead to huge job losses.

In 1970, the agriculture sector employed 1,2 million workers compared to the 640 000 today. Unless the department engages the sector, they can project a million new jobs until the cows come home.

There is a lot of goodwill in the farming sector, which consists of all farmers, black and white. Engage commercial farmers in order for us to grow this sector, grow farmers, create jobs and ensure food security.

Underused land in communal areas is in fact tribal land. We have to ask: Is the ANC bold enough to lead and ensure that people obtain security of tenure of tribal land? Is the government brave enough to turn its land reform projects, which have been unmitigated disasters, around? Minister Nkwinti agreed that 96% has failed.

Commercial farmers need policy certainty about land reform as we are scaring away investors. We are creating uncertainty among the farming community. Ultimately, we are undermining food security. I thank you.

Mr L M NTSHAYISA

UNREVISED HANSARD

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Wednesday, 16 July 2014 Take: 182

Ms D CARTER

Mr L M NTSHAYISA: Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members, distinguished guests, as the AIC, we always view the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as one department that has a great potential to create more jobs. [Interjections.]

Thank you, my chief. Therefore, this should be regarded as such. The youth in particular should be encouraged to be interested in agriculture. It means that they must change their mindset so that we make them very interested in this department, or agriculture in particular.

The inclusive economy that we are all looking forward to is a very good idea. We must try to alleviate poverty, because to eradicate poverty is a dream at present. We can never eradicate poverty, but at least you can eradicate pro-poverty.

The National Development Plan, NDP, should be used to financially support the small-scale farmers so that they create at least one third of the food supply. [Interjections.] Chairperson, could you please come to my assistance? These people are making a lot of noise. I don't know what it is all about. Perhaps they can't hear me.

The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Hon member, continue. Don't allow them to disturb you.

Mr L M NTSHAYISA: Farm workers should benefit and decent work opportunities should be created for these people. You know, there is a programme that is referred to as Fetsa Tlala. That is a very good programme. It should be unhindered and be corruption-free.

It is good news that provinces have been allocated tractors. However, as AIC, we are just appealing to the department to get the corrupt people to stay far away from this good initiative, because the grassroots communities are meant to benefit from this initiative, not certain individuals, or a chosen few.

The lack of effective monitoring and evaluation of programme deliveries at the provincial level in particular is something of great concern.

The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Conclude, please, hon member.

Mr L M NTSHAYISA: Okay. What we need as the AIC is implementation, not lip service and empty promises; otherwise we have no other reason not to support the budget. Thank you. [Applause.]

Mr T R J E RAMOKHOASE

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Mr L M NTSHAYISA

Mr T R J E RAMOKHOASE: Hon House Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon Members of Parliament, and distinguished guests, the Public Finance Management Act, No 1 of 1999, states the following:

Accounting officers must provide Parliament or the relevant legislature with their respective institutions' medium-term strategic plans and, where applicable, with its annual performance plans.

The strategic plans and budgets of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and all four its entities, were tabled before the portfolio committee on 11 July 2014, and adopted by the portfolio committee for tabling in Parliament.

Before I go into the business, let me just send two messages to both the DA and EFF. Firstly, with regard to the DA, we know that the fishing sector is now their last hope of holding onto the wealth of the country. [Interjections.] We are very sorry that today we must tell them that it is gone, and it will not come back. [Applause.] What they are doing is like trying to stop a storm with a shovel. That is a dream! One cannot stop a storm with a shovel. So, unfortunately for them, bye-bye; it is gone! [Applause.]

Secondly, to the hon member of the EFF, hon Joseph, thank you for your speech. You have spoken precisely, so nicely, like a street committee member fighting to become the chairperson of the street in the coming street committee election. [Laughter.] So, we congratulate you on a job well done. You are gunning; you will reach your destination. [Laughter.] [Applause.]

The National Development Plan describes economic transformation as industrial development that is needed as it is focused on creating decent jobs in manufacturing. This must be the strongest sector of the economy. This is also in line with the African Union's declaration, which is,2014 is the Year of Agriculture in fighting poverty for food security.

The report highlighted some of the department's achievements, for instance, R108 million that was given to the World Food Programme, with the criteria that all maize should be procured from South Africa, and 40% should be from smallholder producers. We welcome that. Further assistance has been provided to smallholder producers for the production of dry beans. Through this intervention, approximately 40% of beans that are used in baked beans in the country come from smallholder producers. Twenty-three mobile veterinary clinics have been distributed to rural areas; and an agri-village has been established at Dube TradePort, which supplies fresh produce to Woolworths. Well done! That is a great achievement. [Applause.]

Of course, the report also mentions the challenges that the department is currently faced with. Some of these challenges are risks associated with increased cross-border movement of goods and people into the country, which necessitates more preventative measures in anticipation, and to prevent the possible introduction of animal diseases, plant pests and other undesirable products, such as unsafe food and feed, including agricultural remedies. Furthermore, some of the challenges are compounded by rising input costs, unsustainable land-use practices and inadequate investment in agriculture.

The portfolio committee, after considering the report, provided some recommendations to the department, are ensuring the optimal use of scarce resources; providing the portfolio committee with their annual performance plans quarterly for monitoring and evaluation as well as early warning purposes in order to be able to see problems earlier; enforcing the full implementation of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act, No 13 of 2005, to avoid duplication of activities; and the development of a long-term integrated sector plan that will encompass Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as a priority in order to ensure co-ordinated development, growth and radical transformation of the sector.

Coupled with this is the question of conditional grants. As the committee, we want to strongly emphasise that conditional grants come from national government. National government must play a role and monitor them. No one province should act as if it does not receive funds from this government; all funds come from this government. [Interjections.] Therefore, we will monitor and play an oversight role over them, because we give out these monies. [Interjections.]

With your permission, Chair, allow me to quote from one of the best guiding documents, the Strategy and Tactics of the ANC. This policy document describes the developmental state as a state that must have the organisational capacity to ensure that its structures and systems facilitate the realisation of the transformation agenda, as set by the ruling party in its manifesto. Remember, we are quickly moving towards a developmental state; at high speed. The manifesto says this. [Applause.]

Informed by the agenda of a developmental state, the ANC in government, responding to the set strategy, established five entities that were mandated for different roles to facilitate and harmonise the delivery of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' mandate regarding, firstly, research; secondly, skills development and retention; thirdly, good governance; fourthly, financial sustainability, with high-performing and visible organisations in this regard.

Fortunately, I will try to articulate the positions of these institutions of specialised high technology in different focuses or competencies, which the Deputy Minister spoke about, but, I will look at them from another angle. The Agricultural Research Council must conduct research and development in order to transfer technological skills in agriculture. That is why ...

The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Please conclude, hon member.

Mr T R J E RAMOKHOASE: There is also the Onderstepoort Biological Products, which we are very proud of, because this it is a 98% transformed, previously white entity. We are proud of it, because it conforms to all the requirements of the democratic dispensation of today. [Interjections.]

During the state of the nation address, the President of South Africa, President Zuma, emphasised the need for radical change and encouraged that trade with East African countries should be increased, as well as regional co-operation, as explained in one of the manifestos of the ANC. His Majesty reminded us that ... [Interjections.]

The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Hon members, let us not intimidate the member.

Mr T R J E RAMOKHOASE: They will never succeed![Interjections.]

The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Don't intimidate the member. Allow the member to speak. [Interjections.] We will stop him when it is the right time to do so. Please, conclude, hon member.

Mr T R J E RAMOKHOASE: ... His Majesty, President Zuma, reminded us that our fortunes as a nation are intimately interconnected with the fortunes of our neighbours, our continent and, indeed, all humanity.

Mr C MACKENZIE: House Chairperson, on a point of order: Could the hon member address His Excellency, the hon President Jacob Zuma, by his correct title and not as "His Majesty". Thank you, Chairperson.

Mr T R J E RAMOKHOASE: In conclusion, the ANC supports the Budget Vote. Thank you. [Applause.]

The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION

UNREVISED HANSARD

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Wednesday, 16 July 2014 Take: 183

Mr T R J E RAMOKHOASE

The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Chairperson, let me begin this afternoon by congratulating the hon Minister on his appointment. He is one of the luckier Cabinet Ministers, because he would really have to apply himself very hard if he wanted to do a worse job than his predecessor.

Let me also say that today we have heard from the chairperson of the committee about the ANC's good story; a theme that we've heard throughout the week. I looked up the definition of a story in a dictionary, and I would like to share it with you. It's "an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment", "imaginary" and "entertainment" being the key words here. The thing about having a story is that if you have a story, everybody must have the same story in the ANC. Because what we hear, all the time, is different stories.

We have the Minister, in the Farmer's Weekly, telling us how he is going to sit down with commercial agriculture, and work with commercial farmers, and we have the Deputy Minister saying that he is coming for the land; we have commitment to the National Development Plan and also to the National Democratic Revolution - two completely opposite ends of the pole! We've got a commitment to the Freedom Charter on the one hand, and we've got the commitment to the Constitution on the other. [Interjections.] We have the Labour Minister going around saying: "Everyone must pay their workers properly." And yet, we have the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister paying his workers below the minimum wage.

We have the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries department running around the country telling people how to run their farms when the hon Modise, as a member of the government and ruling party, can't even run her farm properly. [Interjections.]

So, let me just say that the prospectus of this department could focus with laser-like intensity on three key areas in the Fifth Parliament if it wants to achieve success. These are: Proper support for, and partnership with, firstly, a thriving commercial agricultural sector, that can protect South Africa's food security; secondly, promote emerging and small-scale farmers, where economically viable; and, thirdly, alleviate poverty and support household food security through appropriate support for subsistence agriculture.

However, one of the biggest problems facing this department is the fact that the department has been working without a plan. The previous five years have seen the department embarking upon what was called the integrated growth and development plan for the department, but it has never culminated in a final, agreed-upon version. This, obviously, makes it very difficult for us to hold the department to account or measure their success.

It is also common cause that the majority of legislation governing the sector is hopelessly outdated and out of touch with the realities of modern farming methods and practices in South Africa. The Animal Health Act is a prime example, as is the Animal Diseases Act 1984. The tenure of the Fourth Parliament in this committee was characterised by a lack of legislative action and it is hoped that the advent of the new Minister will start to address this problem..

The department, as we have heard today, places food security as one of its apex priorities, but this will not be achievable in the long term, unless the uncertainty around land reform is addressed. [Interjections.] Commercial farmers will not invest a single cent more in modern technologies and crops unless this certainty is created in the sector. There needs to be a lot more synergy between this department and this Ministry, and Minister Nkwinti's department, because whilst Mr Nkwinti is out there sowing uncertainty, you are out there trying to sow certainty. And this is not clear!

The continued demonisation of farmers in our country must come to an end. It drives away talent and it's a zero-sum game that will benefit nobody in South Africa. It is essential that the government recognises that the goals it wants to achieve, in this portfolio, are impossible to achieve without a proper partnership with commercial agriculture, farmers and farm workers alike. It is for this reason that we support a land reform process that achieves redress in rural communities, promotes economic inclusion to lift rural people out of poverty and supports growth and prosperity in the agricultural sector.

We also need to create real jobs and reduce poverty, as well as ensure food security. The department's key focus should be on trying to do the fundamentals well, rather than trying to do everything badly. This would be a good way to start. One of the biggest problems has been that there have been numerous complaints around lack of farming experience and practical capabilities for extension offices. This needs to be addressed urgently.

The research and development capacity needs to be addressed to ensure that we can protect ourselves from the effects of climate change as well as ensure that the department is on the technological cutting edge of modern agricultural practice.

The department could start - instead of these projects that give largesse to connected cadres - by assisting emerging farmers with liming and soil correction in order to address phosphate levels in the soil. Without this, the vast tracts of communal land and land worked by emerging farmers, many of whom do not have financial capacity to undertake this, will never be realised. They will remain low-yield and they will never be transformed, sustainable and productive agricultural operations able to turn a profit and contribute to food security, which the department is aiming at. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Nkosi Z M D MANDELA

UNREVISED HANSARD

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Wednesday, 16 July 2014 Take: 184

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The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION

Nkosi Z M D MANDELA: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and hon Deputy Minister, hon members, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good evening. This Budget Vote comes two days before we celebrate the international Nelson Mandela Day on July 18, in honour of the late former President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Aah Dalibhunga! [Praise!]

HON MEMBERS: Aah Dalibhunga![Praise!]

Nkosi Z M D MANDELA: In support of President Zuma, the ANC calls on all South Africans to dedicate 67 minutes of their time on the day to clean up their communities.

I am indeed honoured to address this august House during this debate on Vote No 26. I would like to state outright that the ANC supports this Budget Vote. [Applause.] I would like to commend the Minister, the Deputy Minister and the department for the work that they are doing under immense pressure and in perhaps one of the most diverse and challenging portfolios.

This portfolio cuts through the thrust of the colonial project and the legacy of a time that the Dutch East India Company first established a refreshment station here in the Cape, represented by the Fort, the Castle and the Company's Gardens right behind where we are sitting today. I recall these images as a reminder that colonisation not only stripped us of our freedom, dignity and humanity, but also alienated us from our land, robbed and pillaged our livestock and marginalised us in the land of our birth.

Colonisation is the horrid legacy of slavery, suffering and hardship that we sought to end through centuries of struggle. On this smouldering edifice, we set out to build a new future in 1994, knowing well the enormity of the task, for which we were emboldened by the words and vision of President Mandela in his inaugural address at the Union Buildings on 10 May 1994, when he said, and I quote:

We know well that none of us acting alone can achieve success. We must therefore act together as a united people for national reconciliation, for nation-building, for the birth of a new world. Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all. Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfil themselves.

Perhaps the most fundamental of all freedoms to be fulfilled is the right to self-preservation or, in the parlance of this department, the right to food security. I therefore, want to applaud this department for the work it has done over the past 20 years of our democracy to ensure that we give meaningful expression to this most fundamental human right enshrined in our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, where it states that, and I quote:

Every citizen has a right to access to sufficient food and water and that the state must take reasonable legislative and other measures within its available resources to achieve the realisation of this right.

In as much as food security is an inalienable human right, the struggle for food security in South Africa is also a barometer of our struggle against alienation, marginalisation and poverty orchestrated by colonialism, apartheid, greed, endemic inequality in this sector and the dying remnants of slave practices such as physical abuse, beatings and arbitrary evictions of farm workers.

Perhaps it is appropriate, as we approach 18 July, that as a collective, we revisit Madiba's call for working together to achieve success.

Of course, we also have a responsibility of how we think of these problems. Amartya Sen, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, reminds us in his book, Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation, first published in 1981, that the famine question involves so much more than the population question. It is a well-established fact that there is enough food to feed the world's present population. Indeed, by some estimates there is 20% more food than what the world currently needs. Yet, hunger persists and future famines seem very likely. I would suggest that the problem is less the number of people than a particular kind of political economy that places food in some hands and not in others.

Given our legacy of inequality and deep rural poverty, I was not surprised to read recently that 12 million people, or 22% of South Africans, have insufficient access to food. Hon Filtane, I could not agree with you more. It is a horrific thought that such huge numbers of citizens are going to bed hungry or don't know where their next meal is coming from. It is in this regard that the agricultural sector's role as a contributor to job creation assumes such pivotal importance.

Hon Carter, I am highly concerned about the statistics on job losses you claim today. So, let me assist the hon member, Chairperson. The National Development Plan, NDP, sets a goal of 1 million new jobs in the agricultural sector and agricultural industries by 2030. This is consistent with the 656 000 jobs created in 2012 and the 739 000 jobs created in 2013. As the ANC-led government strengthens the programme of food security interventions at a national level, it is expected to further boost job creation prospects and rescue an increasing number of people from poverty and starvation.

Hon Chairperson, the hon Chief Whip of the Opposition needs to read more carefully and clearly the projects, programmes and initiatives of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which are all guided by the National Development Plan, NDP, the New Growth Path, NGP, and the Industrial Policy Action Plan, Ipap - and I can list a whole lot of others - in order to understand the plan of the ANC.. However, seated where you are, I certainly know that you have no knowledge whatsoever of policy and developing content. [Applause.] [Interjections.]

Strategic Integrated Projects 11 is one of the 18 flagship infrastructure projects overseen by the Presidential Infrastructure Co-ordination Commission, PICC. It seeks to ensure enabling agro-logistics and rural infrastructure investments that would unlock the potential of rural areas to create jobs. Sip 11 entails the expansion of facilities for storage, transport links to main networks, fencing of farms, irrigation schemes and improved research development on rural issues, something which is much needed by our people, particularly in rural areas such as Mvezo, where I come from. Malawi has successfully implemented a programme called One Village One Product, Ovop. We should aim to ensure that our grassroots people in all villages are able to ensure that their land is productive.

The second phase of our democratic transition calls for bold and decisive steps to place the economy on a qualitative different path that eliminates poverty and unemployment, creates sustainable livelihood and substantially reduces inequality. In the agriculture sector this includes rural agriculture enterprise development, supported by localised markets, and increased investments in agricultural infrastructure. In his state of the nation address on 23 May, His Excellency President Zuma said and I quote:

Our target is for the agricultural sector to create a million jobs by 2030. In addition, government would provide comprehensive support to smallholder farmers through speeding up land reform, and providing technical, infrastructural and financial support. Support will also be provided to communities, as well as to engage in food production and subsistence farming to promote food security, in line with the Fetsa Tlala food production programme.

Therefore, agriculture has been identified as a key job driver.

As we approach the home stretch for South Africa hosting the 14th World Forestry Congress in 2015 on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, of the United Nations, we revel in the fact that it will be the first time since its inception in 1923 that a congress of this magnitude will be hosted on African soil. [Applause.] This honour was bestowed on us because of South Africa's leading role in forestation. We must use this opportunity to display the work we are doing to empower communities to be active players in the forestry sector.

As we work towards greater stability in the fisheries industry, we are cognisant of the challenges faced by the traditional fishing communities and individuals whose very lives and livelihoods have for generations depended on access to the sea and marine resources. It is for this reason that the ANC supports the department's efforts under challenging circumstances to deal with long-term and sustainable solutions for the allocation of fishing rights.

There are those in this House who seek to make cheap political mileage out of the suffering of traditional fisherman, without advancing viable and long-term alternatives. It is critical that we expand and broaden the participation in the marine and fisheries value chain in order to increase the opportunities as the pressure on a dwindling resource reaches new crisis levels.

In this respect, new investments in agri-industries, aquaculture and mariculture all hold hope for a better future.

The NDP has identified fisheries as an important vehicle in achieving its vision for an integrated and inclusive rural economy. It is acknowledgeable that marine fishing is important for coastal communities with regard to job creation in future. It further acknowledges that those historically involved in fishing have frequently been ignored and that many fishing rights allocated have been of small value. The current fishing rights allocation process will ensure that rights allocated are more economically viable in future.

The implementation of the small-scale fisheries policy was approved by Cabinet in May 2012 and its implementation is proceeding apace. This, in addition to the National Aquaculture Strategy Action Plan, holds great potential for sustainable job creation and increased investments.

The implementation of the small-scale fisheries policy will finally give formal recognition and appropriate legal protection ... I thank you. [Time expired.][Applause.]

The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES

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Nkosi Z M D MANDELA

The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Ndibulele [Thank you], hon Chairperson, I would like to thank hon members for reaffirming our expertise in the sector. I would like to thank the director-general of the department, Prof Edith Vries, and the team for working tirelessly to make sure that we turn the corner.

The goodwill of those who have spoken is encouraging and we will build on it. The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is to make sure that we create the environment for co-operation with everybody. We believe that your input is valuable.

I was warned one day that the key to the success of a postman who goes to a village on a bicycle, is avoiding the distraction of elements that would prevent him from achieving his goal, is to be deaf to those who are negative and to listen to those who are building. [Applause.]

Research has been undertaken to determine the economic viability. Researchers who investigate and present results do not make up or cook results. Results so far on these identified experimental spaces show that they are not yet ready for a commercial programme.

What we are appealing for is that everyone will work together. I want to show why I'm saying this. Today we were told that co-operatives will never work under the new government. I want to say that co-operatives have been used and have worked for many centuries all over the world. The Magaliesberg Graankorporasie, OTK, and MTK are all still operating after benefitting the minority during the apartheid government. That government assisted them and they flourished. Yet, today we are told co-operatives can never work. [Applause.] Why did they work then, but not now? That is the question we should be asking.

The fishing harbours are a national competency under the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Department of Public Works. We are providing leadership to improve access to those harbours. The harbours are part of the plan to improve coastal communities' livelihoods through fishing landings, ecotourism, and logistical services. Provincial and local governments will be included under the national leadership.

Regarding the status of fishing vessels...

Afrikaans:

Agb "Groenbloed" ... [Laughter.] ... u het die vraag gevra...

English:

... and you were given an answer. I don't know why you are not now stating what you were told. But let me tell you what is happening, not what people think they are doing. [Interjections.]

And I will always forgive those who shout instead of engage. [Interjections.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): Hon members, please allow the speaker to finish his point.

The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: We stand by our statement that all but one of the fisheries vessels are operational. All these vessels, except for one, are operating in the sea. The only vessel undergoing repairs is the Africana. The repairs were supposed to be completed by July 2014 but, due to the identification of unexpected wear and tear and cracks, that date has been pushed back to October 2014. [Interjections.]

I will disregard you, sir, because you are doing the work of those who believe they have sent you here, and I will pretend you have said nothing.

The Public Protector's report on the docked vessels and its recommendations on the handing of those vessels' management tender were considered and followed. Those recommendations included ensuring the involvement of National Treasury in their oversight capacity.

Matters in the report that affected the former Minister have been referred to the judiciary for review and cannot be discussed in the House at this stage.

I have spoken about the Fishing Rights Allocation Process, Frap, and will review Frap 2013. There are further spaces that will be expiring in 2015. Those exclude the abalone season, which has come to an end. I will announce a comprehensive programme on the fishing rights allocation process to ensure that the recommendations by the Frap 2013 review are recognised. I believe that we will win this battle when we work together. [Applause.]

We have spoken with the farming unions. All of them agree that there are problems but, working together with us, the problems will be dealt with. We don't need to act like scarecrows and pretend that people should be afraid to farm because something big is about to happen.

Afrikaans:

Agb Groenewald, ek will saam met u werk.

English:

We can work together and instil in farmers the belief that they can produce properly. Let us not scare them when government proposes legislation. [Applause.] We cannot postpone transformation of the sector. What we can do is manage the process to make sure that we produce more.

Some people have spoken about the failures of the ANC. I am from the Eastern Cape. Before the ANC came to power, co-operatives that had been functioning were destroyed by another formation. We want to make sure that, together with you all, we create hope. We must work towards realising the goal we have set ourselves. It won't help anybody to insult one another. The earnings of my employee in the rural area, a farm worker, is equal to that of a farmer. The task at hand is to make sure that farm workers trust their employers. We can build the stability of the industry.

Yes, the issue of a tax offer must concern us. We have spoken with them and I will say more about that later. And we will do more together with you. We will do more only if you co-operate. If you want to shout, or want to make noise, we won't hear you. It is like music without rhythm. We must stick together and make sure that we build this nation. The cry out there is to make sure that even the people who voted for you were told of the things we are doing. Why don't you join hands with us and we can change this world together? [Applause.]

I thank all the parties who have supported this budget and say that our door is open. We will meet with everybody. We will listen. We will share ideas.

Last week, Mr Groenewald, I was at an auction in Vereeniging. I met farmers there and they had complaints. We are dealing with those complaints. In our department, we don't see colour; we see farmers. All of them are important. [Applause.] We will win the battle against the killing of farmers. We will make sure that those farmers are supported. We agreed that we need to improve commercial farming. Together with that, we must also make sure that those farmers extend a hand to those who are still coming on and give them support through mentoring. They have agreed to do so and we will work together. [Interjections.]

If I listen to those organisations, and listen to some of you, I wonder if you have met with farmers before you came here. Thank you very much.

Debate concluded.

The Committee rose at 18:56.


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