Hansard: NA: Unrevised Hansard
House: National Assembly
Date of Meeting: 24 May 2017
Summary
No summary available.
Minutes
TUESDAY, 23 MAY 2017
PROCEEDINGS OF MINI-PLENARY SESSION OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
– NATIONAL ASSEMBLY CHAMBER
Members of the mini-plenary session met in the National Assembly Chamber at 14:01.
The House Chairperson Ms A T Didiza took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayer or meditation.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): Hon members, Minister, Deputy Ministers, Members of Parliament, good afternoon. Are you all ready for the debate? I would like to recognise the senior officials and heads of entities of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, I would like to also welcome the guests of the Minister who are here for the debate; it’s a very important sector of our economy, the famers and the agri-business people and our experts who look after the animals and plant
food. And I can see some students aspiring to be in the sector, you are all welcome. You are now the guest of Parliament and not more the guests of the Minister.
I would like to advise you with some House rules that apply in this House as you are guests. There might be some exciting statements that are made by Members of Parliament, don’t be tempted to clap your hands. You can just smile, unfortunately I will be the only one who see you. If there is something that is very irritating, you can only make funny faces but you can’t use your hands as gestures or boo anybody in the House. You will just participate by being present and I am sure you will be very good members of the public. With those words you are most welcome.
APPROPRIATION BILL
Debate on Vote No 24 – Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:
The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES:
House Chairperson, hon Deputy Minister, hon Ministers and
Deputy Ministers, members of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, MECs of Agriculture, Members of Parliament, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I greet you all and I am honoured to be afforded this opportunity to present the budget vote.
Chairperson, I would like to honour the legacy of an illustrious son of the soil, the late great ANC president, Oliver Reginald Tambo. I quote: ―We have a vision of South Africa in which black and white shall live and work together as equals in conditions of peace and prosperity‖.
Comrade Oliver Tambo understood that the struggle for racial and economic equality was not against people but against systems of inequality and oppression. In the same spirit we continue to strive for economic systems that are just, providing for security and comfort for all South Africans.
We have achieved much, but have more work to do and would therefore request a moment of silence – if you agree Chairperson - for those who lost their lives; farmers and
farmworkers alike that will not live to see the vision of O R Tambo.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): May we stand and observe a moment of silence. You may be sited.
To address the transformation imperative; the department continues to work with local business and labour to rebuild confidence, promote investment and improve prospects for more inclusive growth. The agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors need broad-based economic transformation that creates jobs and business opportunities, reduces inequality and boosts income growth.
Chairperson, the outlook for the agricultural sector in South Africa is positive, despite the concerning outlook for the overall economy. The country’s estimate for GDP growth has been revised down marginally from 1,2% to 1,1% but remains unchanged at 1,6% for 2018.
Following the country’s downgrade by credit rating agencies, economic growth expectations in the short term
will remain under pressure, affecting demand, but supply side factors such as increased maize availability as a result of the good rainfall in the summer rainfall areas will improve the economic outlook.
Last year, I pronounced on compulsory community service for vets. The first cohorts of 129 vets have completed their community service. The department is now in its second academic year of the implementation of this programme and 125 vets have been placed for this year to deliver the much needed veterinary services to our communities.
The programme is unique in the field of veterinary services and various countries have shown an interest in emulating this programme.
For the Fishing Rights Allocation Process, FRAP, for 2015-16, the department has now started processing appeals for the Hake Inshore Trawl, Horse Mackerel, KwaZulu-Natal Beach Seine, Large Pelagic Longline, Netfish, Patagonian Toothfish, Seaweed and for the Fish Processing facilities.
In terms of section 80 of the Marine Living Resources Act applicants are allowed to lodge appeals against the decision of the Delegated Authority.
The process is still underway and I would like to appeal to all interested and affected parties to allow the process to unfold and if any party is aggrieved by any decision taken by the department, I encourage such a party to follow the appeal processes that are provided for by law.
It is my intention to finalise the allocations for the West Coast Rock Lobster and Abalone sectors by 31 July this year. The establishment of the Fisheries Transformation Council, in accordance with the Marine Living Resource Act, No 18 of 1998, Chapter 3, Section 5(29); will be prioritised, for the industry has to transform.
We have also committed to finalise all the appeals that have been submitted with regard to the above mentioned nine sectors by 30 September 2017. With regard to the Small-Scale Rights Allocation Process, the department
will soon announce the provisional list of successful fishers for Kwa Zulu Natal communities. The appeals for all allocations will be concluded by December this year.
I have recently by Monday met with several representatives of fishing communities, some of whom are gathered here today; to discuss the concerns and issues raised with respect to rights allocations in various species. We have agreed to include the affected communities in our engagements going forward, to ensure that we find an amicable solution for all concerned. As fishing is not a business but a livelihood for our people.
Hon members, South Africa is a Contracting party member to three tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organisations: the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Blue fin Tuna, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission.
Through my department, in 2016 South Africa successfully negotiated for an increased Southern Blue fin and
Atlantic Albacore tuna allocations. In the current year, the focus is on the allocation of the Swordfish.
As I speak, my team of experts and negotiators are currently attending the 21st Session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission Meeting to defend the proposal developed in partnership with the Republic of Maldives. The proposal recommends the way forward on how fishing rights should be allocated in the Indian Ocean, taking into account the objectives and interests of the developing Indian Coastal States.
Chairperson, in his 2015 state of the nations address, President Jacob Zuma pronounced on the Nine-Point Plan to boost economic growth and create much needed jobs. The Revitalisation of the Agriculture and Agro-Processing Value Chain, known as RAAVC, is one among the nine-point plan through which economic growth and job creation will be driven.
For 2017-18 we seek to continue the strategic approach of RAAVC in partnership with relevant national departments such as the Department of Rural Development and Land
Reform, and the Department of Trade and Industry, including sector organisations, labour organisations, and civil society. Key focus areas of RAAVC will include Land Reform, Market Access and Trade, Producer Support, Research and Innovation, and Production.
We have gone through a process of Operation Phakisa in agriculture and the theme was: ―Transforming the Agricultural Sector towards an Inclusive Rural Economy‖. And it captures critical elements of the NDP and the Nine-Point Plan.
It has been two years since the launch of the Operation Phakisa Oceans Economy and substantial developments have been made to grow the aquaculture sector. To date, 450 direct jobs have been created and 2 000 additional tons of fish have been produced. This is a 35% increase for the sector. A contribution of R500 million has been made to the country’s GDP.
Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food production sectors in the world. The sector presents a good opportunity to diversity fish production to satisfy local
demand, food security, export opportunities, create jobs and contribute towards GDP.
In order for the abalone subsector to access the European market, the EU visited the country on a fact-finding mission. The findings are being attended to by DAFF together with the relevant departments. Under the aquaculture development fund, ADF, initiative, feasibility studies were conducted on marine finfish, oysters and mussels. Forty funding institutions have been identified and 26 of them pledged support towards aquaculture development.
Co-ordinated industry wide marketing efforts have resulted in South Africa receiving various requests from various countries such as Iran, Taiwan, and China
for aquaculture production exports for the 2016-17 financial year. This year will focus on local awareness and marketing efforts for fish products to increase the current consumption.
Hon members, the Department’s Strategy on Agro-processing identify barriers to entry and active participation in
the mainstream agro-processing economy. We will continue working with sector partners to ensure better value addition to our commodities.
The management of disaster risks in the sector remains critical following the devastating drought that threatened food security through decreased crop yields and livestock mortalities. It is important that the department puts disaster risk mitigation measures in place to avert these disaster risks and to ensure that they are better dealt with when they occur.
South Africa, like many developing countries, is highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. The increasing frequency of natural disasters and hazards in a rapidly changing climate is a serious global concern to many people; especially the poor and rural communities who depend on agriculture as a livelihood.
During this financial year, the department will develop a Climate Smart Agriculture, CSA, strategic framework which will contribute to the regulation, promotion, co-
ordination and implementation of an effective CSA programme.
Furthermore, in this financial year, we will finalise the Climate Change Adaption and Mitigation Plan. The drought conditions in 2015-16 had a devastating impact on agriculture production throughout the country. These drought conditions, dare I say, appear to linger in the Western Cape as we gather today. My department will cooperate and lend support to the Western Cape – as it deals with the drought.
In the summer planting season South Africa has received much higher levels of rainfall recorded for 2016-17 season, compared to the previous years. Indeed, our dams are looking much better, thanks to our country’s water management system.
I am pleased to announce that to date, the four major Forestry Lease Agreements have accumulated an amount of R627 million which will be committed to community development. We will continue to address the temporary unplanted areas in state-owned plantations; and in this
financial year, we will propose an alternative management model.
The department has participated with other five key departments to develop a draft National Food and Nutrition Security Plan, NFNSP. These efforts to develop a comprehensive and integrated plan were supported by Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, and other UNs agencies and academic institutions.
We collaborated with the Red Meat Abattoir Association in 2016-17; and 2 116 abattoir workers benefited from attending the slaughter technique training to comply with the Meat Safety Act. Through collaboration with the National Skills Fund, 632 smallholder producers received training in various skills programmes and 971 received mentorship.
We collaborated with the Red Meat Abattoir Association in 2016/17. Two thousand, one hundred and sixteen abattoir workers benefited from attending the Slaughter Technique Training to comply with the Meat Safety Act.
Through collaboration with the National Skills Fund, six hundred and thirty two Smallholder producers received training in various skills programmes and nine hundred and seventy one received mentorship.
For 2017-18, training is planned for 21 723 producers and
3 15 producers will receive mentorship through CASP funding. To further expand on our capacity-building programmes my department through the bilateral relations between South Africa and the Government of Japan in partnership with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, JICA, is implementing the Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment Programme, SHEP, which promotes the principle of ―grow to sell‖ as opposed to growing without a focused market.
This programme involves training of South African beneficiaries in institutions in Japan and Kenya and its implementation is done at a provincial level. We started with beneficiaries from KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga and we intend spreading the programme across the country.
The increase in trade and travel has led to and in crease the spread of trade and diseases that has been shown by the outbreak of recent diseases like the all farm warm disease. And we believe that as a country if we don’t close our borders and make sure that there is control some of the commodities reaching our shores may be having eggs for such pests and therefore we need to co-ordinate our work and ensue that our expertise are shared with the region.
The most recent and difficult negotiation to crack was the China market for the exportation of our beef. My counterpart from China and I signed the protocol for the exportation of beef to the country in February 2017.
Our vets are setting up the necessary systems for the implementation of the protocol in order to provide the guarantees the Chinese authorities require. Furthermore Hon members, we are pleased to announce that following intense negotiations, the United States of America has reverted to the 22-day cold treatment for False Codling Moth in Citrus from South Africa and has added the port of Houston in Texas to the list of ports of entry where consignments of Citrus Fruit from SA may arrive in the US.
This new set of market requirements and extension of ports of entry is indeed good news for the SA citrus industry. The conditions of exportation of Mango and Persimmon fruit from SA to India were also concluded and engagements continued at various levels towards finalising market access requirements.
The EU sent an inspection mission to South Africa in February this year to inspect our establishments and the veterinary authority for compliance to EU legislation related to chemical residues, control of veterinary medicinal products and food safety for game, ostrich and crocodile meats.
Chairperson, accessing markets is particularly difficult given the many issues to be considered. The department is devising innovative ways of involving more private sector participation in market access initiatives.
In June 2016, the European Union signed an Economic Partnership Agreement, EPA with the Southern African Development Community, SADC, group, comprising Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland.
The agreement includes, among others, a bilateral protocol between the EU and South Africa on the protection of geographical indications and on trade in wines and spirits.
During 2016-17 financial year, R1,6 billion was made available as a conditional grant to implement CASP and R491 million was made available for Ilima or Letsema.
Hon members, in his State of the Nation Address of 2017, His Excellency President Jacob Zuma announced the support to black commercial farmers. And the department will make sure that that reality is reached.
During this drought period, our department, in collaboration with Provincial Departments of Agriculture, ARC and the private sector distributed drought tolerant maize seed among smallholder farmers and provided technical advice on drought feeding strategies for livestock as well as alternative feeding methods.
On pests and diseases, Chairperson, I have raise the fact that as a developing country we are really invaded by a
number of pests and I can quote a few; the Fall armyworm, Tuta absoluta, Banana Bunchy Top Virus and many others.
At a regional level, the South African Development Community member states have agreed to subject the control of trans-boundary diseases to joint early warning and rapid response programmes. The outbreak of the Fall armyworm and the African Swine Fever has taught us valuable lessons that we can advance with the world.
Chairperson, the investment in the Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) is bearing fruit. We have signed international agreements especially around the lumpy skin disease vaccination and we believe that with more funding we can be able to do more.
In conclusion, Chairperson and hon members, I would like to thank the Deputy Minister, General Bheki Cele for his counsel; our respective families for their support; the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for their constant guidance. And I would also like to extend a word of appreciation to our Agriculture College students, representatives from our research
entities and various growers associations gathered here today.
Lastly, I would like to say that agriculture should not be politicised. People rely on food production. We need to protect farmers and farmworkers, including workers who are working in the ocean through fisheries. And I would like to say that if we are to succeed in doing that let us embrace transformation.
No sector in South Africa should still be lilywhite controlled like fisheries; and when the issue is raised people go to courts. We need to embrace transformation and do it willingly. We need to ensure that black people are not fit to be employed to fish for others. They can fish themselves when given rights and facilities. They can be able to create jobs, and there is no preclude for others.
Therefore, as the department we call on the opposition parties to work together with the department. We call on everybody to put their hands on the deck to create a
better South Africa that we all can be proud of. Thank you. [Applause.]
Ms N R SEMENYA: Chairperson, good afternoon to the Minister and the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and other deputy ministers present here, our guests and hon members of this august House.
This time last year our country was gripped by a drought that had devastated the agricultural sector and small farmers in particular. Most parts of the country have since received good rains that in some regions were accompanied by floods.
As our country is marking workers’ month, we must never lose sight of the human face of environmental catastrophes such as droughts and floods caused increasingly by climate change. The brunt of the diminished economic output is borne overwhelmingly by the working people and the poor.
Many of the people have lost jobs and can hardly afford nutritious food in the dominant global capitalist market.
The rampant capitalism is also responsible for destruction of entire ecosystems globally.
The spectre of job losses in our country’s poultry industry threatens the livelihoods of thousands of workers and their families. This is a worrying trend considering that the National Development Plan, NDP, identifies 600 000 potential jobs in communal areas, and
3 000 jobs through commercial agriculture by 2030.
The ANC-led government is committed to work with the organised working class and business to find lasting solutions to these challenges. The ANC has pledged that our government, during this term, will implement a rural development policy focusing on meeting basic needs, land reform and rural enterprise development, supported by localised markets, credit facilities and economic infrastructure.
Food security requires strategic and integrated intervention to address access to and control over the physical, social and economic means to ensure sufficient,
safe and nutritious food at all times, and to meet the dietary requirements for a healthy life.
The ANC believes that agriculture has a potential to contribute up to 12% of the gross domestic product, GDP. At the moment, agriculture accounts for 2% of GDP. In trying to find possible solutions, it should be noted that South Africa has not yet reached the target set by the 2003 Maputo Declaration of allocating 10% of the national budget to agriculture annually.
The reduction in the number of commercial farmers and farming units is a concern and requires extensive research into the cause of the phenomenon as it threatens the country’s food security. In the same breath, we are concerned with and condemn the continuing farm murders of both farm workers and farm owners.
The lack of economic opportunities in rural areas has increased rural to urban migration, thus increasing urban unemployment, poverty and food insecurity which used to be confined to rural areas.
Our country needs more investment in infrastructure that supports rural production and market opportunities.
Whilst noting significant efforts in the implementation of governments policies, the source of our food basket is threatened by competing uses which, if not managed, can reduce significantly South Africa’s ability to feed itself and enjoy comparative advantage in agricultural trade. Strong land use planning and management is therefore critical.
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and the Department of Social Development have worked together to prepare the National Food and Nutrition Security Implementation Plan.
The six strategic objectives of the plan include among others: a national multi-sectoral food and nutrition security council and committees that are chaired by our Deputy President; and establishment of inclusive local food value chains and scaling up the impact of nutrition interventions targeting women, infants and children.
More concerted efforts are required towards the promotion of subsistence farming through food gardening and family gardens. The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and the Department of Trade and Industry are working co-operatively towards implementation of the 46 identified Agri-parks and the acceleration of this programme.
Agricultural storage capacities must be prioritised for smallholder farmers in order to manage market access instability. The 2017-18 budget allocation sees a slight increase of R292 million from 2016-17. Approximately 75% of this will be allocated to these three programmes: Agricultural Production, Health and Food Safety; Food Security and Agrarian Reform; and Forestry and Natural Resources Management.
The allocation must be increased in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period in the quest to achieve the Medium-Term Strategic Framework, MTSF, targets to reduce the percentage of households who are vulnerable to hunger from 11,4% in 2013 to less than 9,5%
by 2019; to reduce the percentage of the population living below the lower bound poverty line from 32% to below 22%; and to reduce rural unemployment from the current 49% to less than 40%.
The department has a number of interventions to assist smallholder producers with technical, infrastructure and financial support, and most significantly to support the NDP target of creating one million jobs. These interventions are implemented through the department’s three conditional grants, which are the Comprehensive Agriculture Support programme, Ilima-Letsema and the LandCare programme.
There is also the Micro Agricultural Financial Institutions of South Africa, MAFISA, which was established to complement and optimise the use of established financial intermediation infrastructure and increase outreach in order to improve access to financial services by the poor rural masses.
An example of a success story in the fisheries sector that is also driven by the Department of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries is the aquaculture farm in Hamburg, Eastern Cape. This aquaculture farm falls under government’s Operation Phakisa initiative and it has conducted its second harvest from its first batch of dusky kob and kabeljou in April this year.
Since transfers constitute a large proportion of the department’s budget, we need stronger oversight by the department over its entities and provinces. The committee is concerned that the department focuses on the number of smallholder farmers supported rather than on the quality of expenditure outcomes and monitoring of expenditure on conditional grants to provinces.
It is the considered view of the committee that the department needs to prioritise how it plans to help communities with climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. There is a need for clearer alignment of the department’s plan with the Agricultural Policy Action Plan priority commodities, revitalisation of agriculture and agro processing value chain, Agri-parks and Operation Phakisa for agriculture rural development.
An agricultural education and training intervention strategy that is linked to skills development, academic development and strengthened research and development that provides initiatives for, and focuses on the youth needs to be undertaken.
This would also help in encouraging and ensuring that young people take up agriculture as a profession. For these initiatives to be successful they must be able to take beneficiaries to farms and link this process with land reform projects and state farms.
The President announced, in the 2017 state of the nation address, that 450 smallholder farms would be commercialised. The department plays a crucial role in the drive to radically transform the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries.
This programme needs to be driven with greater enthusiasm and energy beyond the sector transformation codes. For instance, the department used the allocation of fishing rights to transform the fisheries sector. Transformation in this sector has been insignificant for decades.
While government is determined to push ahead with radical economic transformation, there are some challenges in the sector which include: declining producer support against increasing global competitiveness; disinvestment; market concentration; rising input costs; competing land use; climate change; and general lack of infrastructure.
In addition, market dominance, ineffective models of producer support and natural resource management are all key challenges to be addressed if the sector is going to make a meaningful contribution to radical socioeconomic transformation; and the impact of outdated and untransformed legislation such as the Fertilisers, Farm Feeds and Agricultural Remedies Act of 1947.
Poor communication is creating an incorrect perception that little or no progress is being made and that this needs to be corrected. The committee expects that the Marine Living Resources Amendment Bill will be tabled in the 2017-18 financial year and will reflect recent developments such as the ratified Tuna International Agreements and the Port State Measures Agreement.
Operation Phakisa has developed aquaculture farms that have been developed through Operation Phakisa Oceans Economy. There needs to be greater focus on small scale aquaculture development in order to address the demand and to relieve pressure from the ocean. Given the numerous challenges that the agricultural sector is facing, we need research and innovations.
The committee is concerned about the impact that the Agriculture Research Council’s continuing budget cuts will have on its research activities and ability to raise external revenue and on possible retrenchments and closure of some research facilities. The committee is unhappy with the inadequate allocation to this department
... [Time expired.] The ANC supports the budget. Thank you.
Ms A STEYN: Chairperson, I dedicate this budget in honour of our farmers and farm workers who are working tirelessly to put food on our tables.
According to a report by UniChef, every year, 75 000 children in South Africa die before their fifth birthday.
The same report found that malnutrition contributes to 64% of all these deaths in children under the age of five.
This is a shocking statistic in a country where we do have national food security. It is therefore necessary to scrutinise the role that the department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, DAFF, plays in this.
The budget allocation of DAFF is R6,8 billion and is a slight increase of R292 million from 2016-17. Its focus is on improving food security, creating decent jobs and sustainably increasing the contribution of the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors to the GDP.
This department is unfortunately failing in all these targets and it has no credible plan to change this around.
Firstly, the allocated budget to the department is only 0,01% of the national budget. This is an indication that government is not taking these industries serious or that no credible plan has been provided that confidently shows
why Treasury must provide it with more funding. When, looking at the department’s strategic plan, it becomes clear why Treasury does not allocate more funding to it.
Some of the department’s strategic objectives do not have planned targets. In some cases the target is set as planning.
With transfers and subsidies of 56% of its budget to provinces and municipalities, little or no monitoring or evaluation of these funds is taking place, this, notwithstanding an amount of R60 million that was reportedly put aside for the medium-term period for monitoring.
During the 2017 state of the nation address – the Minister referred to it – President Zuma announced about
―the commercialisation of 450 smallholder farmers‖. The committee found no clear plan on how the department would achieve this. Just to say that we are going to do it does not mean that it is going to happen.
With R5,5 billion allocated to support smallholder farmers over the next three years, the focus needs to shift from the number of people that need to be helped to the outcomes achieved. At this stage, reporting is done on the budget spent and not on improvement of livelihoods.
These are only some of the examples on why the Democratic Alliance does not think that this department has what it takes to grow our agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector into the strong role player it could be in our economy. With an economy currently in a slow growth phase, agriculture could play a massive role and thereby, create much needed jobs.
Afrikaans:
Dit maak die DA ook onrustig dat opruiende politieke uitsprake gemaak word wat verdere beleggings in die landbousektor strem – die politiek waarvan u praat, Minister Zokwana. Die huidige droogte, wat slegs gedeeltelik gebreek is, en wat die Noord-Kaap, Wes-Kaap en gedeeltes van die Oos-Kaap nog in ’n wurggreep het, het ons landbousektor onder groot finansiële druk
geplaas. Dit word bereken dat die totale landbouskuld nou R144 miljard beloop en dat landbouers versigtig is om verdere beleggings in die sektor te maak, as gevolg van groot beleidsonsekerheid.
English:
Our sector needs all the support it could get to feed the
55 million South Africans and still be able to export to assist with food security internationally, while bringing in much needed value into our country.
The DA government would be focussing on recognising the role that agriculture plays in our economy and take active steps to create an enabling environment for agricultural growth, by firstly, increasing the budget for agriculture and land reform in order to play a meaningful role in our economy. The second step is to partner with the private-sector in order to facilitate in the meaningful expansion of agricultural production in the potentially arable soil in communal land in high rainfall areas such as the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, in order for it to be brought into full production.
The third step is to bring policy certainty in a sector, which, by its very nature, is characterised by uncertainty, as seen in the drought. While the ANC government is intending to introduce legislation and regulations that will destroy the value of land, potentially ruin our financial sector and drive away internal and external investment, the DA proposals would be focusing on strengthening land rights and providing title to black farmers and homeowners in order to be part of the economy.
The fourth step is to invest in training and education. It is sad to see the state of our agricultural colleges and the poor maintenance of infrastructure at these colleges. We have seen this during our recent visit to Mpumalanga, where a whole college is just standing empty. Agricultural development support, or agricultural extension services, focussing on developing the skills base of farmers and providing technical support, has been shown across the world to significantly raise the extent of land use and to increase output and income. Our extension support has all but collapsed and farmers are
left to fend for themselves. This has a massive impact on especially our small-scale farmers.
Fifthly, we will look at expanding investment in research and development for agriculture. We have just heard that the whole committee is unhappy about our research capacity. While other countries are increasing its budget on research and development, our budget decreases on a year-by-year basis. It was noted that the Agricultural Research Council budget had an impact on the completion of the foot-and-mouth disease vaccine production facility, which is expected to play a significant role in the prevention of foot-and-mouth disease.
Furthermore, we would also look at providing and effectively implementing a disaster risk management system for agriculture. The government’s response to the drought has been slow, sporadic and badly targeted, with concerns of corruption and mismanagement of funds during this extremely difficult period. With predictions that El Nino weather patterns and climate change are likely to increase the severity and incidence of drought in South Africa, we must be prioritising the development of an
agriculture response to climate change. We will have to rethink farming and agricultural relief when the sector is vulnerable to crises. That does not only mean drought; it could also be political and economic crises.
Lastly, we must prioritise to keep our rural communities and their property safe. Farm attacks must be classified as priority crime, in order for more resources to be allocated to rural safety units. Currently, SAPS is under-resourced and the rural safety strategy is poorly implemented. This year alone, 37 farmers and farm workers have died on our farms.
South African farmers are recognised as part of the best in the world and are ensuring food security under extremely difficult circumstances. Access to food is a basic human right and with an ever-growing population, it puts massive strain on our farming communities to ensure that food is easily accessible, safe and affordable to everyone.
We therefore call on everyone to vote for the DA in 2019, to give us a chance to show you the kind of South Africa we can build together. [Applause.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T DIDIZA): Order, hon
members! I was not aware that we have started the campaign for 2019 already.
Mr N PAULSEN: Chairperson, in her book, An Empty Plate, Dr Tracey Ledger poses the following questions: Why is it that food prices are so high that millions of South African families go hungry, while the prices paid to farmers for that same food are so low that many cannot stay in business? Why are the people that produce our food, farm workers, are among the most insecure of all?
Why do high levels of rural poverty persist while corporate profits in the food sector keep rising?
South Africa is one of only 20 countries in the world where the right to food is enshrined in our Constitution, yet one in four children is so malnourished that they are classified as stunted.
Section 27(1)(b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa states that, ―everyone has the right to have access to sufficient food and water.‖ This obligation is extended in section 27(2), according to which ―the state must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of each of these rights‖ and section 28(1)(c) states that every child has the right to
―basic nutrition, shelter, basic health care services and social services‖.
This department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has a vision: United and transformed agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector that ensures food security for all and economic prosperity.
I agree with the chairperson of the committee and my colleague, hon Steyn, agriculture has the potential to absorb the most labour, but is would require radical transformation of the agricultural sector. We have seen in the poultry industry alone how, in a short period,
50 000 jobs were lost due to the import of cheaper, albeit poorer quality poultry products. This is not
radical economic transformation. This is a fantastic catastrophe.
Our local poultry industry cannot compete with their overseas counterparts because of two factors: overseas farmers are subsidised by their governments; South Africa does not impose tariffs to restrict import of cheap poultry products.
The poultry industry in South Africa can be revived and offers an opportunity for genuine transformation ...
Mr B T BONGO: Chair, on a point of order: This member has read the same in the ...
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T DIDIZA): Hon member, that is not a point of order. Can you take your seat?
Mr N PAULSEN: The poultry industry in South Africa can be revived and offers an opportunity for genuine transformation due to the established market for these products. It would require government’s participation,
but most importantly, it would require a government capable of being bold and courageous, not this ANC.
This department plans to support 300 O00 smallholder producers by 2019, but thus far it only managed less than
24 O00. We know that access to land is the responsibility of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. These two departments’ plans are not aligned towards achieving this objective and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries may never achieve its target. In fact, it will never achieve its target. This ANC is an ANC of talk and no action.
Although a household food nutritional programme is one of the department’s programmes, there is no visible intervention to empower poor households to produce their own food.
This department prioritises big business when it comes to allocating fishing quotas. Many fishing communities experience dire poverty because they have been denied their livelihood, through the corrupted allocation process. Even here the department lacks imagination.
Globally 50% of the fish consumed comes from aquaculture, but in South Africa less than 1% of the fish consumed comes from aquaculture.
Very soon, South Africa will have to import timber and timber products due to the shortage of timber. This is due to both a lack of planning and poor management.
Minister, there is a Chinese proverb: The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time to plant a tree is now.
Until the budget for this department would be able to adequately respond to the crisis of nutritional security of poor people, until this budget will incorporate the transformation of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, which would see a greater participation of the working class, the Economic Freedom Fighters has no choice but to reject this budget. Thank you very much.
INKOSI R N CEBEKHULU: Chairperson, the policies of this department, whilst appearing very good on paper seems to have been lost in translation, as to date they have proven to be of very little effect in the alleviation of
poverty and food security amongst the vast majority of our rural people. It is common knowledge that our rural areas abound with vast land with fertile soil and yet they remain underutilised.
Departmental programmes begin with great fanfare and then fade into oblivion, one example being the provision of tractors to provinces to assist smallholder farmers in ploughing communal land areas. One wonders what happened to those tractors as the land today lies fallow in these areas. Subsistence and smallholder farmers need the department’s continued assistance and expertise, if there is to be sustainable skills transfer and development.
Fly-by-night schemes will not provide the results we are looking for. Commercial farms that were previously providing large scale employment and producing a great deal, but were then purchased by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform are now bankrupt, their fields fallow, and their once employed labour now form part of our unemployment statistics.
Food security for our nation remains a concern precisely because we are not effectively using the arable land that we have. Dependence is replacing innovation, skills development and entrepreneurship in our agricultural communities. As a result the country cannot feed its people, and we are required to import from other countries food that at times is alleged to be unhealthy.
The use of GMOs remain a major concern especially since no long term studies have as yet been conducted proving their safety in human consumption. In this respect the IFP have requested the Human Rights Commission to intervene and we are pleased to announce that a national platform will soon be established under the stewardship of the HRC in which a national debate and a study on the safety of GMO consumption by human beings will be undertaken.
Pesticide use is another area of grave concern, particularly around the widespread usage of glyphosate which is in products such as Monsanto’s Roundup with the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization declaring in 2015 that glyphosate, the world’s most
widely used herbicide, is probably carcinogenic to humans. This again, must be properly investigated.
On fisheries side, overfishing and poaching in our territorial waters by foreign vessels are severely impacting our already depleted resources. Light judicial sentences and policing will not assist in this fight. A co-ordinated and well-resourced marine policing unit is required and the SA Navy should be deployed to assist.
Pier fisherman are subsistence fishermen and should be treated with care, they are not poachers.
Lastly the issuing of fishing permits must not be a privilege afforded to only large commercial companies, care must be taken that we do not leave our emerging small groups behind. I thank you, the IFP supports the budget.
IsiZulu:
Mnu S C MNCWABE: Ngiyabonga Sihlalo nanoma umuntu enomkhuhlwane.
English:
Minister, Deputy Minister and all Minister’s present, hon members, distinguished guests and farmers present here, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has its stated focus priority to increase our national food security, to create jobs and to improve the contribution of the agricultural sector to the national GDP. To achieve these core objectives, the budget for the department has been slightly increased to R6.8 billion for the financial year 2017-18.
Public entities account for 19% of the department’s budget in the 2017-18 financial year, and the total amount of grants constitute slightly more than a third of the department’s budget. This high proportion of transfers require strengthened oversight by the department through regular monitoring and evaluation of entities and conditional grants spending by provinces, with an emphasis on compliance with prescribed procurement processes and sound generally accepted accounting practices.
Ultimately, there is a need to determine whether the funds that are allocated to the department and its
entities through different programmes translate to actual service delivery, particularly in rural and underserviced areas. The National Freedom Party is in agreement with the observations and recommendations of the committee. In particular, we are concerned about the lack of explicit targets on how the department will capacitate communities to deal with climate change, how to mitigate the effects and how to cultivate adaptation to the challenges.
The recent drought in large parts of our country should be a wake—up call for South Africa and we believe that climate change and its effect on agricultural sector must be given high priority, with particular emphasis on capacitating emergent black farmers.
We also share the concern of the portfolio committee that there is no mention of the department’s plans to address the crises in the poultry industry. Jobs are lost daily and the industry is in crisis, crying out for government to develop a strategy to combat the effects of dumping.
The Department should, in our view, move swiftly to intervene and mitigate the crisis, and should perhaps consider using the unfortunate present crisis to
decentralise the production of poultry and establish small-scale rural production centres.
Finally, we believe that the future of agriculture in our country will depend on capacitating our youth today. The NFP therefore calls on the department to increase its efforts to develop and implement projects and plans to make agriculture an attractive sector for employment and entrepreneurship for our young people.
In conclusion, Minister, we fully support your budget. Thank you. [Applause.]
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND
FISHERIES: Madam Chairperson, hon Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Hon Zokwane, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers present, the chairperson of the portfolio committee, Members of Parliament, MECs, distinguished guests, members of the media, ladies and gentlemen, friends and foes, this is the year of our struggle stalwart, Oliver Reginald Tambo, who would be turning 100 had he lived. So it is indeed a good time to draw from the wisdom of this giant who did not only
become the liberator of South Africans, but was also a scientist, a mathematician, a teacher, a barrister and, indeed, nurtured by the small farming community of Bizano.
O R Tambo once said,
... centuries of colonial oppression have been ended for many millions and for many millions more the struggle of liberation is reaching new heights. We do not doubt that within our lifetime, the millions still oppressed throughout the world will govern themselves freely.
The emphasis of our oppression here is the world hunger, more in particular the starvation of South Africans. The world boasts of enhanced science for food production.
Tons and tons of food are produced by the world, especially by conglomerates and big agricultural industrialists. But how come, with all this tons and tons of food produced, out of 7 billion people, 760 million people in the world go to bed without food? Two billion kids are underfed and that is why is are stunted.
The case is not better in South Africa. The figure varies but the scary trend of people going to bed without food in South Africa should be fought and defeated. Maybe the debate that was raised by hon Steyn is for another day.
Whether there is insufficiency of food or food is inaccessible ... That’s what ...
So, if agriculture people produce food, but retailers don’t give food, we have to debate that. Don’t band the agriculture people together with the retailers. [Laughter.]
The emphasis ...
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms A T Didiza): Did you miss that sign, Minister? [Laughter.]
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND
FISHERIES: Figures given by the Food and Agricultural Organisation and other credible institutions show that
12 million in South Africa went to bed without food in 2012 and that figure has grown into the scary figure of 14,3 million people in 2016.
Maybe the answer of this is found in the writing of Prof Wadada Nabudere, who explains—
... under which life and plant forms genetically modified in this way could be patented as private property and protected under the international legal regime. Thus, through this manipulative reductionist science, a few monopolies were able to establish a legal and moral basis for controlling not only the basis of livelihood and population reproduction, they have gone further to claim the right to reproduce or destroy real life forms and plants.
Furthermore, I quote from the same book:
The market for fertilisers, high yield seeds, pesticides, mechanisation, irrigation, credit system and global marketing schemes packaged by agri-business monopolies had the objective of replacing small-scale farming with the new agri-business enterprise.
Systematically so, cutting all what people used to do for themselves and were trying to do by the big business and those that run the world. Take care of that.
This tells us ... [Interjections.]
Ms A STEYN: [Inaudible.]
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND
FISHERIES: Thula! [Shut up!] [Laughter.]
This tells a story that we need to go back to the basics. We need to make sure that farming in South Africa is injected with young and new blood of South Africa. At the present moment, the average age of farmers in South Africa is 60 and those farmers are most probably white Afrikaner males. Therefore, it would be appropriate for this department to embark on an aggressive programme to put black youth in particular Africans in this domain of agriculture.
To achieve this, since the inception of the external bursary scheme, 1 222 young people have benefited from a
variety of bursary awards. Of this total, 652 successfully completed their tertiary qualification and are currently contributing to the economy as part of the labour force in the country. Quite a big number of them have Masters Degrees and PhDs. Clap some hands! [Applause.]
For the 2017 academic year, R20 million has been budgeted and 318 students are being funded to further their studies in various fields identified as scarce in the sector. In total, R156,7 million has been spent by this department since the inception of this scheme.
In line with the National Youth Policy 2020, the department has developed the Young Producers and Entrepreneurs Strategy. The strategy aims to support the establishment of youth owned and/or managed enterprises. Through the strategy, the department is supporting 261 unemployed youth through various programmes. Of the 261 unemployed graduates, 183 are currently placed in various units within the department to gain work experience and experiential training to make them ready for the job market. Twenty-five are placed with the Perishable
Products Export Control Board as Export Technologists and
53 are placed at identified Agricultural Policy Action Plan farms across the country so that they can work together going forward.
This increases our capacity as a country for export readiness. Fifty-three graduates are deployed to various private commodity farms to be groomed as young entrepreneurs. In addition to this, young farmers will be trained as part of the 18 000 smallholder farmers in the Capacity Building Programme of the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme that is implemented by the department.
The Youth in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries programme was launched in June 2016 in Tshwane, Gauteng. That will be an annual kind of event that will again take place inviting these young people to be part of the progressive agricultural activities.
As we know that the department has the forestry branch, which is one of the biggest industries of the world and moreover brings a lot of money to the respective
countries. South Africa will have to grow too, and again the growth here will have to be targeted and systematic. The young African population, especially women, will have to be assisted to find their way to this branch of the economy.
It is for that reason that the department is working hard to plant many trees as part of Million Trees a Year project, working with the communities and households, improving the focus in the natural trees and the fruit trees, as an effort to reverse the scourge of starvation. We are pushing hard to commercially plant 100 000 hectares of trees and also we will invite and encourage young people to be part of that process, but also invite our sister departments like the Department of Trade and Industry, DTI, to open opportunities for young people to be the part of this massive agro-processing in this industry.
Also we recognise the long period of wait in this industry. It is on that score that we are increasing the opportunities of agro-forestry so that young new entrants don’t wait for too long before they can benefit.
Let us make a clarion call.
Ms Steyn, I came to you some time back. And I reported to you that your members ... DA farmers, yes ... I came to you. [Interjections.] And I said, can you help us. We go to West Coast where a certain Mr Mohamed who is a farmer is squeezed out by the white DA farmers. As farmers in that area, they share everything. They share their machines and all. But when it comes to him, even when he pays, they refuse to [Inaudible.] They are squeezing him out of his farm because they want his farm. So, that invitation stands for me and you to go there. It doesn’t help to come here and talk about everything, but stop racism which is still a scourge allowing black farmers to go in the Republic of South Africa. [Interjections.]
I fully agree with you. We will have to deal with killings on farms but both for farmers and the farmworkers and the communities. For you to come here and talk about farm killings and don’t talk about Coligny where the Afrikaans farmers killed a young person and are in court as we speak, it doesn’t bode well if you are dealing with the matters. Remember ... [Interjections.]
No! Remember, when you talk about them ... farmers as victims, but also talk about some workers as victims ... and we must deal with those matters overwhelmingly so that we begin to understand ...
Ms A STEYN: On a point of order, Chairperson. Chairperson, I rise on Rule 92, point of order. The Deputy Minister is misleading the House. I specifically spoke about farmers and farmworkers, and I said the words farmworkers and farmers twice in my speech. [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Okay.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND
FISHERIES: Thank you. I thought you would remember Coligny. [Interjections.] I hope you would. [Interjections.]
But, having said so, it doesn’t help to come here and fight over these matters. [Interjections.] What it helps much is to talk about and make sure ... [Interjections.]
Ha!
An HON MEMBER: Ha!
An HON MEMBER: You are picking a fight!
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND
FISHERIES: I’m not picking a fight. [Interjections.] No! If I pick a fight ... If I wanted to pick a fight, I would have picked a fight on behalf of Mbali Ntuli. [Interjections.] If I wanted to pick a fight. [Interjections.] Because she’s a young little girl, beautiful, bright and all, that you are victimising for one and one reason only. It happens that she is black and has made the call on your missus. That’s a reason. That’s a fight! [Interjections.] That’s a fight I would have picked!
Mr Y I CASSIM: On a point of order, Chairperson.
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Hon Deputy Minister, there is a point of order.
Mr I CASSIM: Yes. Chairperson ...
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Just to assist us, hon members ... This is a mini plenary. We will try our level best not to have points of order after points of order because we want, you know ... we want the debate to flow without being personal, without taking anything out of context. [Interjections.] That’s what we are trying to do. [Interjections.] Yes, sir.
Mr Y I CASSIM: Thank you, Chairperson. I rise on a point of order. The Deputy Minister refers to an MPL of the DA as a little girl. I find it deeply offensive. I find it deeply ageist and I find it deeply sexist. I would ask you to ask him to withdraw. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND
FISHERIES: Well, Chairperson, it happens that I know her since the age of three. [Interjections.] I know ... [Interjections.]
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Hon Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, did you say that? ―A little girl‖.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND
FISHERIES: Well, I withdraw. This big hon member of the legislature that I know since the age of three together with her father. I worked with her father. That’s how I know her. So that’s a bag I will pick up and I’m telling you, we’ll be part of picking ... [Interjections.]
I’m glad that your leader, hon Maimane, said if she’ll come, he would come and defend here. Well, he’s attacked by those who are defending missus. [Interjections.] So that’s ... that’s ...
An HON MEMBER: What’s your point? What’s your point?
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND
FISHERIES: The point is racism. The point is there’s chosen racism ...
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Hon members, let us allow him a platform to be heard.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND
FISHERIES: The point is a racism that you don’t want to talk about!
But having said all this ... [Interjections.] ... let’s
... I’m inviting ... again ... [Interjections.] I’m inviting Mrs Steyn ...
An HON MEMBER: Hayibo!
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Hon Deputy Minister, take your seat.
IsiZulu:
UNGQONGQOSHE WEZOLIMO, AMAHLATHI KANYE NEZINHLANZI: Ubani
futhi omunye? [Laughter.]
English:
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Hon members, we are making a request. Let us not disturb speakers with points
of order after points of order. Firstly, the points of order are not in order themselves. You are not quoting the Rule, and we can’t allow that to happen because otherwise we can disturb other members from articulating their views ... [Inaudible.]
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
Chair, is it parliamentary for a member to call another member ―racist‖, as the hon member said, there? [Interjections.]
An HON MEMBER: There’s the racist! There’s the racist! [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Deputy Minister, please continue.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND
FISHERIES: Well, I’m inviting Mrs Steyn to go and talk to your members there to say, this race thing they are doing there, please ... And I invited you before. You promised to come. This time I’ll grab you by the arm, and make sure that, together ... [Interjections.] [Laughter.] ...
together, we go there, so that we tell DA members to say, those days of treating people through their faces because they are black must come to an end. And you are all human beings. [Applause.]
So, that is my invitation. You can invite Mr Van Damme if you want to, or any other hon members ...
An HON MEMBER: Van Dalen!
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND
FISHERIES: Oh! Van Dalen! It’s similar to Van Damme, hey? [Laughter.]
So, if you like, we can all go and make sure that that thing stops. [Laughter.] But, generally ...
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Please, Deputy Minister, conclude ... [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND
FISHERIES: But, at the end of the day, we believe that, if we work together, we can stop racism. We stop looking
at faces. South Africa will be better and people like OR Tambo will rest peacefully where they are, for having fought a good fight to make sure that all South Africans live together in peace. I thank you. [Applause.]
Mr M L W FILTANE: The UDM supports the Budget Vote, but let me dissect the amoeba. The departmental policy of transferring 55% of its budget to provinces and public entities does needs to be reviewed and be given sharp teeth. The reason for that is that provinces continue to fail to account properly for these transfers. Whilst transfers are legal mandate, the regular flouting of the Public Finance Management Act by provinces without consequences means that the policy must be armed with sufficient biting tools so that public money is accounted for. On the other hand, the allocation of a mere
R975 million to the Agricultural Research Council, ARC, is far from being sufficient, considering the strategic importance of this institution. Their ineffectiveness will be like walking into a dark room without a light.
IsiXhosa:
Isebe liza kusebenza ebumnyameni.
English:
Moreover, if things go according to plan, Ncera Farms in the Eastern Cape is due to be taken over by the Agricultural Research Council during the course of this financial year and they will need some budget to be able to operate that efficiently. It is a poor departmental decision that the Onderstepoort Biological Products, OBP, has no budget allocation at all this year, yet its decaying infrastructure of 196O, is in dire need of a revamp. This will have a negative impact on the quality and quantity of livestock with no appropriate medication for them.
The poor planning capacity of the department is reflected by the fact that the committee had to send the department packing two times before they could submit a smart plan to the committee. Alignment of targets with performance indicators was consistently lacking. In particular, the department is very poor in monitoring its own entities.
Also, the department has not sufficiently profiled the attendant risks, yet we have just come out of devastating drought as well as diseases outbreaks. The department is
still drafting a mitigating strategy two years after the devastating drought - still planning.
Without an ability to monitor, which is beyond reproach, it becomes very difficult to support the department’s need for additional funding - needed as it is. On one of the days the department came to present its budget, neither the Minister, his Deputy nor the director-general were present. Are they serious about this business? One would have thought that this is supposed to the second most date in their dairies, today being the most important one - they planned otherwise. This reflects very badly on the planning capacity of the department.
The department is way behind in the use of technology in its production methods. On the other hand, the use of indigenous knowledge is not factored in all of its plans. As a result, most rural farmers are perpetual learners on how to produce their own daily food. This exposes them to ever rising costs on how to survive, let alone being players in the economic space. This is a most intriguing form of disempowerment of the rural poor.
When a culture is ignored, as has been the case with the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act of 2013, you hit a snag - which is why this piece of legislation is not being implemented. In hoc casu, more people are poorer even as they have land. Therefore, please do not distil these cultural methods of producing food. You are making people poorer. Land ownership remains a stumbling block for farmers who want to get credit and we have got to move in that direction as the Zuma administration. I am referring to you the ANC people – move.
This department needs to work very closely with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform - wake up. The fisheries sector faces ongoing strife. It has no transformation charter and as a result there are no clear policy guidelines on how on the allocation of fishing rights. However, we will welcome the promises made by the Minister today regarding attending and giving appropriate attention to the problems besetting the fisheries sector. I thank you.
Mr W B MAPHANGA: Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers available, hon members and our
distinguished guests, I greet you all. Speaking on behalf of the ruling party, the ANC, as one voice we fully support this Budget Vote since we believe that it is a key to creating a better life for all and further deepening our unity as South Africans in this year of our President O R Tambo. Quoting our state President His Majesty the hon Jacob Zuma on the state of the nation address, Sona, 2017, it is my honour to remind you that the main focus of the ANC is reigniting growth in the economy for the sole purpose of creating employment for our people.
Guided by the National Development Plan and the ANC policies, I present to you ideals that we seek to attain as the ANC in promotion of social and economic transformation:
That is reducing unemployment, increasing black ownership and control in the economy, activating small business and co-operatives, dismantling monopoly practices and structures and reducing inequality and poverty.
These are crucial in unifying us as a democratic nation. By supporting the Budget Vote we further ensure that our people who make their living in the oceans of our country will also benefit from their labour. That is why the small-scale fisheries policy will remain an important milestone in the ongoing work of transforming the structure and character of the South African economy. The policy aims to provide rights to small-scale fishing communities and to ensure that they have equal access to marine resources.
The fisheries sector contributes over R7 billion per annum to the economy or about 0,6% of the gross domestic product, GDP, of South Africa. Approximately 734 000 people derive their livelihood from wild fisheries while most of the commercial fishing activity occur in the productive waters of the Western Cape.
The National Development Plan underscores the point that people should be able to access high quality basic services that enable them to be well-nourished, healthy and increasingly skilled. This is where industrialisation
through agro-processing and fisheries works to our advantage.
Small-scale fisheries support approximately 700 000 fishers comprising over 140 communities. This will increase to approximately 30 000 with the implementation of the small-scale fisheries policy. The small-scale fishers compete with a booming recreational fishing sector which occurs along the entire coastline involving about 700 000 fishers.
Another critical factor is that the department lacks capacity to protect its stocks, a lot of which are being poached and the department has gone against recommendations of its scientists on the acceptable stock to be harvested and allocated rights beyond the sustainable level. This issue must be addressed urgently.
The National Development Plan paints a bleak picture that while climate change is the chief ecological challenge, others closely linked also pose serious risks, such as water scarcity, pollution and depleted fishing stocks.
Ninety percent of edible fish stocks have already been
fished out. The challenges of implementation of the small-scale fisheries, SSF, policy small-scale fisheries are faced with a number of challenges with regard to the implementation of the SSF policy and the department has dealt with many of these. These include the three-year duration of small-scale fishing rights which is considered too short.
In order to address other challenges such as the insufficient involvement of youth, women and persons with disabilities in the fishing sector, the department has proposed that the co-operatives established can be used to train youth in the community. Marine resources are limited and the prevailing trend is a decrease in resource availability as reflected in the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ Annual Status of the South African Marine Fisheries Resources. The commercial species which are of interest to both sectors have already allocated in the commercial sector in terms of previous rights allocation processes. These rights only expire in 2020.
Furthermore, commercial rights have recently been allocated in net fish, seaweed and beach seine and expire in 2028. In order to ensure that small-scale fishers are able to sustain their livelihoods, the department has proposed that they be prioritised in the allocation of rights for abalone and lobster which have not yet been allocated to commercial fisheries before.
In the light of the challenges faced by small fisheries who fish in order to make a living, the department must revisit the policy and or legislation that allow recreational fishing. The NDP conceives that the use of marine resources should primarily be for human consumption and job creation rather than sport. It is because of these aforementioned factors that we support the budget. The ANC supports this Budget Vote 24: Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. I thank you, Chair. [Applause.]
Dr P W A MULDER: Chairperson, I would like to thank the Minister for the minute of silence.
Sir, we all took note of the Arab Spring uprisings and other revolutions in different countries. What is the possibility that the same might happen in South Africa? Recently, a prominent leader said the strategic essentials to avoid revolution and conflict in South Africa are good defence, police, and intelligence. Sir, he is wrong. The strategic essentials are not defence, police, and intelligence. It is water, energy, food security through agriculture. Cut water, cut energy, and cut food, and you have a revolution.
Afrikaans:
Wat moet ons doen om dit te voorkom? Die antwoord is eenvoudig, en dit is wat ek vandag wil oordra: Kom ons neem landboubesluite op grond van feite en feite alleen. Die meeste van ons huidige probleme is omdat landboubesluite op grond van politieke propagandastellings en mites geneem word. Ons probleem is dat besluite geneem word op grond van politiek-geskepde persepsies en op grond van eensydige stereotipes.
Kom ek gee vir u ’n voorbeeld. Dit is ’n stereotipe om te sê alle swart boere is onbekwaam en dat hul misluk. Dis
nie waar nie, want daar is heelwat swart kommersiële boere wat suksesvol is. Net so is dit ook ’n fout om te sê alle wit boere is rassiste wat hul werkers sleg behandel. Dis ’n totale leuen, soos navorsing en feite sal bevestig.
English:
I would like to repeat this in English. My urgent message today is that it is in the best interest of all the people of South Africa and of government that all agricultural decisions be taken based on cold facts. At the moment, most agricultural decisions are taken in reaction to political propaganda statements and myths.
Decisions are taken on politically created perceptions and one-sided stereotypes. Not all black farmers are failures, and not all white farmers are racists who treat their workers badly.
Let me provide another example. All white people are rich because they own farms. I hear that in debates and conversations in this Parliament.
An HON MEMBER: It is true!
Dr P W A MULDER: It is completely untrue! In the last census, there were 4,2 million whites out of a population of 55 million. That is less than 9%. In 1980, there had been around 128 000 commercial farmers. This had dropped to 58 000 in 1997 and to about 35 000 today. If you wrongly accept that all commercial farmers are white – and that is wrong – 35 000 out of 4,2 million whites constitute 0,8% or less than 1% of the white population. Predictions are that this would drop to 15 000 in the next 15 years.
We are not all farmers. We are all city dwellers. Urbanisation in Africa stands at 58% and in South Africa at 62%. In the cities, we all need food produced by this small number of white and black commercial farmers. [Interjections.] Let me add a footnote. The majority of FF Plus supporters are not farmers. [Interjections.] The majority of our supporters are found in cities in Gauteng and the Western Cape. You need 45 000 to 50 000 votes to get one member elected to Parliament. So, if every commercial farmer – 35 000 of them – voted for us, we could not even get one member elected.
Afrikaans:
Kom ek gee vir u nog ’n mite. Die mite is dat grond alleen jou kan ryk maak, want ons elkeen het grond en/of plaasgrond. Ek sê vir u die volgende: Sonder kundigheid en sonder jare se ervaring gaan grond jou arm maak. Ek kan voorbeelde noem.
English:
Commercialisation of smallholder farmers is a priority. Of course, we need more successful black commercial farmers, but the government’s Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is not structured to farm. At the moment, government has more failures than successes where they tried to establish black commercial farmers.
Sir, the most important reason is that these farmers do not own the land; it still belongs to government. The nongovernmental organisations, something like GrainSA, had success. Let them take you to the more than
24 000 black farmers they have helped. Go and visit them.
Afrikaans:
Gaan kyk na die wolbedryf. Hulle het uiteindelik
7 000 swart boere suksesvol gehelp. Waarom hoor ons hierdie nie genoeg nie? Dit is net die negatiwiteit.
English:
On land reform, I believe we are wasting valuable money and energy trying to restore people to their peasant ways. Figures show that the majority of South Africans – white and black – do not want farm land. They want to go to cities. They want to own a cellphone and a BMW and work in a modern economy. [Interjections.] Let’s help them by giving them titleship in their houses and a piece of land in the city, as it happens in all modern economies, whilst the black and white commercial farmers out there are left to produce food.
That is the future. That is an economy that can work – not all the political dreams that you hear of every day. Thank you.
Ms T M A TONGWANE: Chairperson, Minister and Deputy Ministers, all protocol observed, allow me to indicate
firstly that the ANC supports Budget Vote No 24: Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. [Applause.]
The ANC’s philosophical and policy orientation regarding the forestry sector is guided by the 1996 White Paper on Sustainable Forest Development in South Africa that outlines the role of forestry in rural development. The policy direction clearly breaks with the narrow outlook of the past. The ANC, as government, is concerned with far wider issues that impact on the lives and wellbeing of all of our people. Forestry policy should reflect these concerns.
We have developed the new streams of community forestry and agro-forestry. Supplementing commercial forestry with endeavours that are closer to the people’s needs, it aims to improve the living conditions of all our people through projects and programmes. Forestry is rurally based, and there is a natural link between it and the rural population. It can provide employment, building materials, fuel, and craft materials. The broad aim of forestry policy is to have the four streams of conservation, forestry, commercial forestry, and
community forestry work together. The overall goal of government is to promote a thriving forestry sector, utilised for the lasting and sustained benefit of the entire community and developed and managed to protect and to improve the environment.
The philosophical approach of the Reconstruction and Development Programme, RDP, is one that seeks integration and coherent socioeconomic progress. This includes the new community forestry programme. The principles that underscore the ANC’s approach to forestry are informed by the rationale that forests should be developed and managed so as to do the following: conserve the biological diversity, ecosystems and habitats; sustain the potential yield of the economic, social, and environmental benefits; promote the fair distribution of economic, social, health, and environmental benefits; conserve natural resources, especially soil and water; and advance categories of persons disadvantaged by historic discrimination.
Challenges were identified from an impact assessment of the ANC policy for the forestry sector. They include the
following: a low afforestation rate due to cumbersome licensing processes; underinvestment in long-rotation timber, such as sawlogs; risks associated with climate change and variability manifesting through fires, pests and disease; slow pace of transformation since the gazetting of the Transformation Charter; and cumbersome water licensing requirements.
In order to address these, specific action has been taken. There has been a review of conditions around the issuing of water licenses, such as regulatory conditions and compliance costs for small growers. With regard to processing, support is offered for pole treatment, sawmilling and, in particular, implementation of deliberate policies that favour small, medium and microenterprises, SMMEs, such as the grant for small growers. The settlement of land claims process should be utilised to transform the sector. Approximately 50% of forestry land is under land claims.
Whilst Programme 5 has historically been underfunded, it seems that the department still struggles to spend its budget allocated, apparently due to capacity problems.
Funds had been transferred between programmes. A closer look at the forestry and natural resources management programme in terms of progress assessment provides evidence of the ongoing revitalisation although targets have had to be revised downwards. As of 2016-17, the department will no longer measure targets by the number of hectare revitalised but by the number of projects supported.
National Treasury’s midyear report reflected that the department would not meet its annual targets set in the forestry programme for the number of hectare planted. The annual targets were revised downwards due to the freezing of some posts, the reprioritisation of funds towards the World Forestry Congress, and the reduction in the budget due to anticipated underspending.
To promote transformation in the sector, the Forest Sector Transformation Charter was launched in 2007. This Budget Vote is an appropriate platform to assess its impact against monies allocated through the vote. It is both a transformation and a growth charter. Part of this transformation relates to the main objective of the
Forest Sector Transformation Charter, which extends economic opportunities and benefits of the forest sector to previously disadvantaged black groups.
Progress on the Forest Sector Transformation Charter has had mixed results and has not realised the outcomes that were envisaged at its launch 10 years ago in 2007. Lack of progress can be attributed to human factors and the national question. The major problem is in water licensing and availability of land, as land claims are causing uncertainty in the industry. The Forest Sector Charter Council’s view about progress and performance towards the implementation of broad-based black economic empowerment in the forestry sector is that challenges remain.
In conclusion, the department, through the National Afforestation Technical Task Team, has requested the Department of Water and Sanitation to set standards for the time required to process a license. Through the task team of the Forest Sector Transformation Charter, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is exploring options to establish funding mechanisms for
small growers and other small producers in the forestry sector. The ANC supports this Budget Vote. [Applause.]
Mr L M NTSHAYISA: Hon Chairperson, for the sake of progress, success and service delivery, we as the AIC support this Budget Vote No 24 on 24 May 2017.
This department is a living department. It is expected to contribute a lot to the growth of South Africa’s economy and in accordance with the National Development Plan, NDP, it is expected to create one million jobs by 2030. I wonder how many of us will still be alive then. Perhaps you will be the only one.
It will reduce the rate of unemployment if this can be the case in all departments. Then the challenge of unemployment can be something of the past because all departments will be trying to create jobs by 2030.
Food and security, the creation of decent jobs and the contribution to the gross domestic product should be in the forefront. The 6,8 billion that has been allocated to this department cannot be regarded as a big slice. It has
too many entities to support financially together with programmes, and also to make transfers to nine provinces. The financial resources that are allocated to provinces and entities should be thoroughly monitored. A lot goes to the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme, Casp, and it has been seen to be doing well for smallholder farmers.
This department should make it clear how smallholder farmers or producers can access the markets. It will be good for the department to provide support to them as a group, not as individuals.
Again, a credible database should be created to make it easy to monitor and evaluate these entities. The monitoring and evaluation of these entities will always be important.
We cannot turn a blind eye to the contribution that is being made by the sectors of forestry and fisheries in this department. The tree plantation communities that the department has been engaging with must not be discontinued because it has been one of the ways of
keeping the communities busy and again, sort of giving them some form of temporary livelihood.
We also appreciate the fact that the department has come to consider the importance of giving fishing rights to people living along the coast because this is the only livelihood these people depend on. Many people have lost their lives fighting over these fishing rights along the coast. We therefore appreciate the intervention that is being made by the department.
With regard to land, the only eight million hectares of land that has been transferred to the people should be properly utilised for both living and agriculture.
However, it is not correct that only eight million hectares of land out of 82 million hectares of land has been transferred so far since 1994. More efforts should now be made to get land to the people.
Apparently we do not have a problem with maize production in South Africa. We have enough to satisfy domestic demand. However, the government should devise a means of
helping smallholder farmers with their production of maize. The department should assist them to find markets.
The agricultural product is a powerful catalyst for inclusive growth and socioeconomic transformation. This sector has real potential to create these jobs that I spoke about to grow the economy of the country. We should therefore focus on the revitalisation of agriculture as one of the Nine-Point Plan strategies of the NDP. Operation Phakisa should be the order of the day.
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): Please conclude.
Mr L M NTSHAYISA: Come again? You say I should continue? [Interjections.] Okay, I’ll conclude.
Farm killings should be collectively fought against because this is something bad that has been happening on our farms. Thank you.
Ms D CARTER: Thank you Chairperson. You know what, the Minister of Health is here ... I mean the Minister of ...
[Interjections.] Before you start my time can we get some vet to sort out the cats that are on heat, please?
Sadly, according to reports, 246 425 farmers were affected by the 2015-16 drought. Although droughts don’t discriminate, government did discriminate against farmers when offering drought assistance. Minister, can you please provide the House with detailed information on the drought assistance provided? What provisions are being made for the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape with regard to the current drought-stricken areas?
Cope remains concerned about the impact of mining on agricultural land. Fracking seems to be the modern gold rush with false promises of economic development and job creation. What government and these fracking corporations don’t tell our communities is that fracking creates very few low-skilled jobs ... low-paying jobs and it is a highly-skilled field.
The fracking process requires pumping 20 million litres of much-needed water, sand and toxic chemicals for each well. A current nationwide water shortage highlights the
fact that we are a water-scarce country. Our water rights are already oversubscribed and we will face a state of civil and economic instability if we disregard the rights of the agricultural economy in providing for the nation’s food security.
Fracking and natural gas extraction is a national threat to food and water, and consequently to our environment, and our social and economic wellbeing, with detrimental long-term effects.
Fracking is an agricultural and human rights issue. A vote for fracking is a vote against the people of South Africa. Minister, what is the reason for the deterioration of our agricultural colleges? What has the department done to try and intervene? The Public Protector is currently finalising its report on the Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority, AgriSeta, which is embroiled in allegations of maladministration, corruption and inefficiency. Did we intervene?
Minister, what are the reasons for the delay with regard to the AgriBEE, black economic empowerment, charter? Is the department, Cabinet and all the provincial departments at one and serious about the financing and implementation of an agriculture Phakisa initiative?
The redistribution of farms in democratic South Africa is a worthy goal and transformation in the industry is a necessity. It is reported that government owns
4 323 farms all waiting to be transferred to land reform beneficiaries. However, how many of these farms are still productive Minister? Does it make any economic and food security sense to expropriate more farms if government does not have the capacity to transfer the farms they already bought?
In 1986 South Africa had approximately 70 000 commercial farmers that created 1,2 million jobs. Sadly today, the figure has dropped below 35 000 to 30 000 and they are still having to feed 50 million mouths.
How far is the land audit we have been hearing about for years? Underused land and communal areas are in fact in
tribal land. Is the ANC bold enough to lead us and to ensure that rural communities obtain security of tenure, even in tribal land?
Hon Minister, the Agricultural Land Holdings Bill will have a devastating effect on commercial agriculture for various reasons. At the moment the Agricultural Land Holdings Bill is one of the biggest concerns to the agricultural sector. Minister, I cannot agree with you more. Let us not politicise and racialise agriculture. Black and white farmers need policy certainty as we are scaring away investment in farming, creating uncertainty within the existing farming community, and ultimately, we are undermining food security. Thank you.
Afrikaans:
Mnr P VAN DALEN: Agb Voorsitter, ek wil graag die vissermanne en vroue welkom heet hier in die Parliament. Hulle is die sout van die aarde. Hulle ken visvang en het in vissersfamilies groot geword. Minister, hulle is die mense wat u, saam met die departement en sy beleide, tot armoede gefonnis het.
Terwyl u nog lekker lê en slaap in weelde, gaan hulle om vieruur die oggend see toe om vir hulle families kos op die tafel te sit. Hulle ken niks anders nie. Hulle is die mense wat u gefaal het.
Hierdie vissermanne behoort aan ’n hegte familie wat saam bly is as die vis byt en saam huil as een van hulle nie terugkeer van die see af nie. Ons staan ook saam en baklei as iemand ons onregverdig behandel. Hulle is nie die leliewit industrie waarvan u praat nie.
English:
Hon Minister, I have invited the fishing communities to join me today, so that you can hear the plight of our fisher family - a family to which you and the hon members of this committee also belong.
As the Minister, you assume a father figure role. The father is the head of this family and can be strict but firm with the discipline. The role of the mother is assumed by the officials of the department, including the director-general, DG, and the deputy director-general, DDG. The mother is meant to nurture and show equal love
and sympathy to all her children. A mother listens and is the cornerstone of any family. We also have a grandmother whose role is assumed by the portfolio committee and the chairperson. The grandmother performs an oversight role. She is a safe haven for them all. She does not pick sides. She does what is good for the whole family. That is a normal family.
Unfortunately, our family is a dysfunctional family. In our family, the father fails to provide equal protection to all members of the fishing community. By taking away their right to fish, the Minister has, with the stroke of his pen, sentenced 800 fishermen and women in this sector to a life of poverty, where their children will go to bed hungry. Ninety percent of these 800 unsuccessful fishermen are not white, but previously disadvantaged.
You are just spreading the poverty thinner.
The mother is not any better. She too has failed our family. The DDG has shown disregard to the plight and the cries of the communities, who feel prejudiced by the fishing allocations process. The DDG, by reducing the
fishing quotas by 90%, has condemned these communities to a life of hunger and poverty.
Instead of ensuring that these communities are fed, the Minister’s department has instead chosen to feed the patronage system. Both the mother and father of this family have acted against the very people who depend on them.
What about us, as the committee? What have we, as the grandmother, done to comfort and solve the problems of these fishing communities? We have done nothing. We turned them away.
Fish depletion or scarcity of fish resources are no longer the biggest threat to the fishing industry. The Department of Fisheries is the most dangerous threat for the fishing industry. They don’t seem to know that they are playing Russian Roulette with people’s lives.
Afrikaans:
Hierdie is ’n baie emosionele onderwerp en ons wil graag by u hoor, agb Minister, hoe u hierdie probleem gaan
aanspreek. U kan nie net bloot u skouers optrek nie. Verduidelik asseblief vir hierdie vissermanne, u familie hier teenwoordig, wat u gaan doen om hierdie humanitêre ramp af te weer. Om net van een te steel en vir die ander te gee is nie die oplossing nie. U moet ’n regverdige vader wees. Dit is tog u plig, Minister.
Dit is verder ’n skreiende skande dat u eie kinders hulle ouers moet hof toe neem om geregtigheid te laat geskied. Maar kom ek belowe vandag vir u een ding. Ons sal hier in hierdie Parlement en in die hof baklei dat die bloed so loop, maar u sal ons nie onder kry nie. Ek dank u. [Applous.]
Mr P D N MALOYI: Thank you very much Chair. Because I have limited time, I will not mention everyone who is here by name. Just allow me to greet your House in the gallery from corner to corner.
Now having said so hon Minister, Chair I think we all agree with the notion and with all those young women who are out there, who say to us that agriculture is the backbone of any country. It plays a crucial role in the
overall growth of any country – it doesn’t matter in which continent is that country from. Now among those writers and those thinkers who think a lot around this field, there is one that I like because when he wrote some of things he said we must pause and I hope that all of you will pause and think carefully. And he says;
Imagine a world without food, without restaurants, grocery stores, Imagine children lying in the middle of the street because they’ve gone days, even weeks without eating anything. Imagine waking up every morning and going out to scavenge for food, because it is not available anywhere commercially.
I think if you paused and listened carefully, it will be very hard for you to imagine these things because everything we eat and consume is all thanks to agriculture. [Applause.]
Hon Chair, I am certain that our four bearers when they took a conscious decision to write a document called the Freedom Charter - they were imagining these things - and that is why they included a clause in the Freedom Charter
that talks about these things in particular. And they included an important sentence that says; food plentiful and no one shall go hungry.
Even those men and women who wrote an important document in this country, Vision 2030, the National Development Plan dedicated the whole Chapter 6 just to deal with issues of agriculture, rural development and so on.
Imagining these that we said we must imagine. The President of the republic went on various occasions and in different platforms to talk about agriculture and its importance. He was imagining the questions that we posed earlier on.
Hon Chair, you will agree with me and everybody that the budget of R6,8 billion that has been allocated to the Department of Agriculture is too little or minimal because this department has entities which it must transfer money to - this department has nine provinces that it must transfer money to conditional grants to - this department has employees which must be paid - this department if nature struck whether is drought or any other thing it’s the department that must respond to
those challenges. Now just think on you own whether R6,8 billion will assist this department to achieve its intended objective – I don’t think so.
One hon member indicated earlier on here that he doubts whether he will support the department if they go to Treasury to request additional funds. And he goes on to say it is because this department doesn’t have a plan. They don’t know what they are doing and so on. You know there is a serious problem in this country of members who have fault memories. [Applause.] And that member will say he is forgetful; that’s false memory. Now if a member of a Portfolio Committee, that’s sits every Tuesday and interact with this department on the Vision 2030 which is the National Development Plan, that is our plan until 2030 - we have a plan.
If this hon member sits with a department that presents its Medium Term Strategic Framework, MTSF, on every Tuesday or whenever we meet, if this hon member sits in a meeting with the department that presents an annual performance plan which indicates as to what it is that we are going to do for this entire year and what it is that
we are going to do in each and every quarter and then comes here and say there is no plan, I doubt as to whether this member does think properly. [Applause.] Those are the plans that exist. And it is unfortunate that some amongst us do not necessarily sit in this Portfolio Committee - and we sympathise with you.
And I want to talk about hon Mulder in particular who says, everything we do is about propaganda. And before I go into the propaganda, let me remind you what the Minister said earlier on when he quoted the O R Tambo.
And I just want to repeat one sentence on that one. He said O R Tambo said;
We have a vision of a South Africa in which black and white shall live and work together as equals in conditions of peace and prosperity.
Now I am not sure as to why other Members of Parliament on a continuous basis, when you talk about agriculture which the Minister said its one area where all of us needs to be united, they want to put race in this matter. You cant put race here hon Mulder, because once you put
race it means you did not understand what Oliver Tambo was talking about – that me and you, irrespective of our pigmentation – irrespective of the colour of our skins, we must work together in prosperity and we must be equal, that is what he said.
Now you can’t go around and say this department and this government is discriminating. We have never discriminated anybody and that is why I would appeal to you hon Mulder, to join this Portfolio Committee because once you join this Portfolio Committee I can tell you now, you are going to gain a lot because you have little knowledge of what is happening in this department, very little.
Ms D CARTER: Chairperson, on a point of order: Is the member prepared to take a question?
Mr P D N MALOYI: No I will take a question after finishing my speech.
Ms D CARTER: Maybe you can start thinking ... [Inaudible.]
Mr P D N MALOYI: I must also indicate hon Chair, going to hon Carter. I am happy that you rose because you reminded me about you. Hon Carter must understand that there are two departments in this country - the first department is Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the other one is the Department of Rural Development and Land Reforms. Now what you do is, you come to the podium and talk about issues of land reforms. What it means is that you have an introductory knowledge of what the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries does. And once you have an introductory knowledge of what the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries does it means we need to invite you as well in order to sit in this committee and understand what it is that we are doing.
The last point Chair, members who sit in the economic transformation cluster, including members from the opposition, you must attend other debates. You know the Minister of DTI spoke a lot about plans that they have to deal with big challenges that we face in the poultry industry. Thank you very much Chair.
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): I do request members not to shout time because we all have watches for time. There is staff member responsible for that. Hon Steyn you were disturbing the member when he was speaking. That is the idea but that idea should not be overdone because it’s making it difficult for people to be heard.
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr M R Mdakane): I do request members not to shout time because we all have watches for time. There is staff member responsible for that. Hon Steyn, you were disturbing the member when he was speaking. That is the idea but that idea should not be overdone because it is making it difficult for people to be heard.
The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Hon
Chairperson, let me start by thanking the Director- General of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and his team for working very hard to achieve our goals. I will be able to say to some people that there is a saying in English that says: ―Those who stay in glass houses should not throw stones‖.
The less said about the issues that some have raised the better. I will not deal with most of what has been said because hon Paulsen has chosen to run away and I was going to respond to him. Hon Cebekhulu, I hope that the issue of legal fishing is on our radar. By the way, we have been invited by the Indian coastal countries to assist with our technology to make sure that we can monitor our surrounding waters and the rest. So, we are clear on that but I take your point and I think we can engage further.
IsiXhosa:
Tata uFiltane, mkhaya wam, ubuncokola nam izolo elinye ngale nto uthetha ngayo apha namhlanje.
English
I have said just now that as a department we will make sure that there is a charter of transformation of the fishing industry. You come and say that there is no scientific approach in dealing with agriculture when we have shown very well that we have produced a drought resistant seed. That is a scientific research. You will not just wake up in the morning and you see a seed
somewhere. It is researched; baba but we can talk further another time.
I want to respond to the hon Moulder by saying, young children, do not leave rural people to towns because they want phones. I can assure you that I have been to many colleges and I have seen young black people who are saying they do not want to queue for jobs in our department. They want to be farmers and I can assure you because I have spoken to many white farmers who are really appreciative of the fact that they can play a role but I will not spend more time on that.
Hon Van Dalen, please do not constraint black people into peripheral fishing. Do not speak of 800 people whose quotas, you claim, have been taken away. What about deep sea fishing; what about the commercial fishing? Why don’t you join me when I go to court against the company that killed 12 people at sea? We never heard your voice. Why are you so selective in a way that you are concerned about black people who are scavenging on the periphery of fishing? I want you and me to transform the industry.
Only five companies in this country are exploiting our fish and in 1998 they made it a point that no black person will have access to the sea. Even the people you are referring to are really quota papers. When I do something about it, the very companies will take me to court and you are not present to be with me and march to transform the industry. You are silent because you share their ideas that black people should be employed and not be participating as equals. [Applause.] They must transform and I call on the DA and all other parties that if we have to succeed in this country let us make sure that we work together.
In this country you cannot partner with a foreign vessel as they do in Namibia. Why, because these companies are five, two of which are subsidiaries. They are exploiting our species. The reason they took us to court was because when there was no hake available, the companies which took au to court were making more money. I am saying to you, let us hold hands and work together Ms Van Dalen.
I have spoken to the representatives of those people and understood their complaints. I agree with them but to
transform you need fish because fish cannot be planted or fall from the trees. You share what you have with others. I am saying to you that it is not correct to say we are making a political statement. We are not. We understand the fate of those people. I can assure you that some companies have registered their own employees as share holders when in essence they were not.
Let us transform the industry because only the fishing industry has refused to transform. There is no black person who can claim to own a vessel. The question is why? Why? Do not speak about 800 people. Our people do not want to scavenge. I want to tell those people whose rights have been threatened that, as a department, we have met with the representatives of those fishermen and will make sure that we go to those areas and make sure that we find the formula. Do not follow the DA because they are dreaming of being a party of tomorrow while they still embrace what they are coming from. So, they have got one foot on sea and one foot on the land because their dream is to retain what they enjoyed before. [Applause.] So, thank you very much.
Debate concluded.
The mini-plenary session rose at 16:12.
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