Questions and Replies

Reply:

Yes.

a) As of the 21 May 2021, the Deeds Registry: Pietermaritzburg has 7727 deeds awaiting transfer. Date of deeds examined: on Junior Examination: 4th and 5th May 2021 and on Senior Examination: 23rd and 24th April 2021.

b) The following measure are in place:

• Overtime was approved for Examination, Data and Scanning which is currently being done;
• Measures have been put in place to allow conveyancers to request expediting of all deeds that have been on the system for two weeks or longer where rates certificates will be expiring soon; and
• There are ongoing discussions with unions to try and address the rotational issues. 25% of examiners work on rotational basis.

Reply:

1. Yes. Section 42D was settled on the 12th of December 1999.

2. Yes. The CPA was regularized on the 30th of November 2019 and the following members of the Executive Committee of the Communal Property Association were elected:

1. Chairperson- Gobusamang Shole
2. Deputy Chairperson-Mothusiemang Moromane
3. Secretary- Sello Tatai
4. Deputy Secretary – Ntesang Makgeledisa
5. Treasurer – Salome Motsumi
6. Additional Members

• Desmond Manyapelo
• Asuf Mosenogi
• Gaopalelwe Tsatsimpe
• Mathews Mongale
• Oupakie Legwase
• Baby Makgeledise

3. Development grants to the value of R5 506 050.00 was approved; an amount of R57,336.00 was spent for the appointment of a Service Provider for capacity building for Putfontein CPA in 2005. The outstanding balance is R5 448 714,00.

END

Reply:

a) A date cannot be determined because this claim is settled in phases with a total extent of the land claimed and accepted being 87175.8062. To date the office has settled 42824.4330 and transferred 40255.1375 to the Restitution beneficiaries registered at Borolong boo Maiketso CPA.

The Commission is still continuing to engage with the various stakeholders towards the finalisation of the claim. It is important to note that the outstanding hectares under claim are owned by multiple landowners and the office is settling outstanding portions based on progressive discussions with the various landowners.

b) Since the land restitution administrative process is dependent on those land owners who are willing to sell their properties for the settlement of the claim, and are not contesting the validity of the claim the process is delayed by those farmers who are contesting validity on the outstanding hectares due for settlement. Some of the parcels will be referred to the Land Claims Court in terms of section 14 of the Restitution Act for determination.

END

Reply:

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) implemented the commando system which includes training and appointing locust contractors to control the locust outbreak. DALRRD provides these contractors with pesticides, protective clothing and spraying pumps for effective control of the locust outbreak before they reach the crop lands. In addition, DALRRD further appoints the aerial locust spraying contractors to assist within areas where the outbreak is out of control and un-accessible.

Reply:

Yes. According to the provisions of the State land Lease and Disposal Policy as well as the Lease Contract, a lessee is eligible for a renewal of the lease agreement on state-owned land.

Reply:

Yes.

a) One.

b) Pursuant to a claim by three communities in terms of the Restitution of Land Rights Act, 22 of 1994, a consent order was granted by the Land Claims Court that the state acquire 10 properties in the Mthonjaneni area pending the resolution of a dispute regarding the properties between the Mthonjaneni Community and the Toggkry Community. The properties were duly acquired by the department and are managed in terms of the State Land Lease and Disposal Policy. The South African Farmers Development Association (SAFDA) was appointed as caretaker of the properties, with the view to later appoint it as lessee pending the resolution of the above-mentioned dispute. The caretakership agreement with SAFDA was an interim measure to safeguard the properties and to ensure that farming operations continued on the properties. The Mthonjaneni Community Trust subsequently brought an application against the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development & 2 others (Case No LCC201/2013) seeking the following orders:

• That the Minister and the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights (the Commission) (the second respondent) immediately cease to harvest all crops on the relevant properties;
• That a joint committee between the Mthonjaneni Community Trust and the department be established to determine various service providers to undertake the harvest of the timber;
• That the Minister and the Commission ensure that an interest-bearing account is ringfenced for all funds generated by the lease or the farming operations; and
• In the alternative, that the Minister and the Commission are directed to ensure that all funds that are generated from the farming operations as at date of transfer must be held in an interest-bearing account.

The department successfully defended the application in the Land Claims Court and the judge dismissed the application of the Mthonjaneni Community Trust with each party to pay their own costs. The transfer of the properties from the state to the beneficiaries is currently in progress and a further consent order with time frames are being negotiated with Cox and Partners Attorneys.

Reply:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

 

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

1. (a) There are 09 Strategic Partnership that the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights (CRLR) is aware of, however we are unable to provide a comprehensive number as some partnership are facilitated directly by the claimants themselves without the involvement of the Commission.

(b)

CLAIMANTS/ BENEFICIARIES	STRATEGIC PARTNER
Riemvasmaak Claim – BONO	Bono Trust
Steinroof-hom – Establishment of the Schamboua CPA	Steinroof-Hom Partners
Khutso Naketsi Agri	NHP Pretorius
Nietverdiendt Game Farming Project involving four Bahurutshe Communities	Mike Engelzakis
Ebenhaeser Land Claim	VINPRO; STELLAR CELLARS; LUTZVILLE CELLARS; TYGER BRANDS; S.A.D (PEPSICO)
Emakhasaneni Community Trust	South African Farmers Development Association (SAFDA) and Manzini Estate
Ntembeni Community Trust	South African Farmers Development Association (SAFDA)
Ntembeni Royal House Community Trust	South African Farmers Development Association (SAFDA)
Isizwe sakwaDludla Community Trust	South African Farmers Development Association (SAFDA)

(2) There has not been a unit within the department that does assessment of strategic partners. However, in developing a fit-for-purpose structure a unit dealing with post-settlement support will undertake this task.

END

Reply:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

1. Thirty-one (31) “state” farms, which are located in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West are currently leased to mining companies.

1. The context to the second part of the question is that:

• • The existing mining leases are generally a combination of old order mining rights that were known as Mineral Leases or Notarial Lease of Mineral Rights, and surface leases that have since April 1994 been concluded in terms of the State Land Disposal Act, 1961, read together with the Interim Protection of Informal Land Rights Act, 1996.

• • The Mineral Leases or Notarial Lease of Mineral Rights were concluded in circumstances where there was no statutory requirement for consultation of people who utilise the land in the event of such land being earmarked for mining. The details of the people who were utilising the land or were entitled to utilise the land were therefore never collected at the time of the conclusion of the leases.

• • On the post April 1994 surface leases, neither the State Land Disposal Act nor the Interim Protection of Informal Rights Act require that the names and locations of the people who reside on the farms that are leased to mining companies should be collected. The Interim Protection of Informal Land Rights Act requires the decision to make land available for mining or any other form of land development to be taken by the majority of the holders of rights who are present or represented in a meeting that has been convened to take a resolution on that matter. This requirement implies that the list of people who attended a land rights holders resolution meeting must at least be recorded. This is consequently the only list that generally gets recorded at the time the land rights holders resolve to make the land available for mining or any other land development purpose.

• • The leased land also tends to be a common asset of large numbers of people that are spread over many villages. The necessity for recording personal information of all the people who occupy some components of leased land has just never been considered hence such information has never been collected.

Reply:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

1. (a) R 9 640 943

1. Please refer to the table below:

Eastern Cape	Free State	Gauteng	KwaZulu Natal	Limpopo	Mpumalanga	North West	Northern Cape	Western Cape	Total
187	249	180	120	139	260	143	268	59	1 605

1. The Proactive land Acquisition Strategy bank account.

1. (a) Yes, the Agricultural Land Holding Account is administered by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.

1. No, in terms of clause 16, of the State Land Lease and Disposal policy. maintenance is a lessee responsibility

Reply:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

The community referred to herein is Ncanywa Grain Crop Cooperative based in the Matatiele Local Municipality. The reasons for non-delivery of seeds and fertiliser to the smallholder farmers are that Ncanywa Grain Crop Cooperative did not apply for support in the 2020/21 cropping season. A different project by the name of Qhobosheaneng Maize Project applied and was approved for the 2020/21 cropping season for 15 ha of inputs under food security.

Qhobosheaneng Maize Project entered into an agreement to exchange the inputs with Ncanywa Grain Crop Cooperative without informing the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (EC DRDAR). It became a challenge to implement this exchange, because the EC DRDAR was already in the phase of distributing inputs to beneficiaries that were approved initially. Ncanywa Grain Crop Cooperative did not form part of the EC DRDAR approved plans for inputs support as they had not applied for the 2020/21 cropping season.

The Department had an agreement with Qobosheaneng and the inputs were given to Qhobosheaneng Maize Project that formed part of the initial departmental plan. Ncanywa Grain Crop Agricultural Cooperative has applied for support in August 2020 which is the application process for the 2021/22 cropping season. The application will undergo all the relevant processes for approval.

Reply:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

No. Whilst the change of land-use has in some instances resulted in the relocation of communal residents to alternative areas, such occurrences have not been largely attributed to the unilateral actions of traditional leaders and also have not been at such a scale as to warrant a study.

Reply:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

(a)(i) The timelines for the establishment of the specified entity is within the next financial year, 2021/2022.

1. The entity will focus on assisting the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) in planning, financing and implementation of the projects such as land acquisition and allocation. The agency will also focus on the agricultural development and partnering with relevant public and private institutions.

 

1. This will be a co-ordinating agency for land and agricultural development and will therefore work with the department and all entities reporting to the department and all stakeholders playing a role in the sector.

Reply:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

Barolong Boo Maiketso lodged a land claim on the 11th December 1998, on 7 (seven) farms with a total of 87175.8062 hectares. To date the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights has settled a total of 45984.3105 hectares (which is inclusive of 2569.2962 hectares settled with financial compensation in lieu as of the land which was not restorable) to Barolong Boo Maiketso.
 
The acquisition of additional land towards settlement of this land claim is dependent on some of the landowners who are not disputing validity of the claim for acquisition of those specific farms.

Secondly, there are landowners who are disputing the validity of the land claim.
 
Therefore, the Land claim is being referred to the Land Claims Court for adjudication, and as such the Commission is unable to determine when the entire claim will be settled as this is dependent on the court processes.
 

 

END

Reply:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION 403

 

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

 

1. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is aware of the possible inadvertent impact that the 16,1% wage increase will have on the agricultural sector given the dire economic predicament the country is experiencing. Correspondingly, the Department is also mindful of the escalating living expenses which is the major driver necessitating annual adjustments in the minimum wage, considering low wage levels of ordinary South African workers, including farmworkers. However, Government cannot turn a blind eye to the dire effect the current economic situation has had on businesses. To this effect, Chapter four of the National Minimum Wage Act has made provision for a state where an employer or an employers’ organisation registered in terms of section 96 of the Labour Relations Act, or any other law, acting on behalf of a member, may, in the prescribed form and manner, apply for an exemption from paying the national minimum wage.

1. (a) No - The process of consultations was made by the Department of Labour and Employment.

1. No.

1. No.
2. No.

(3) No. However, the Minister will be consulting the relevant and affected structures in the endeavour to devise on intervention(s) to mitigate job losses within the agricultural sector.

Reply:

NATIONAL ASSEMLY

WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION 335

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 02-2021 SIXTH PARLIAMENT]

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 19 FEBRUARY 2020

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

(1)(a) Yes.

(1)(b) It should be noted that remunerated work outside of Public Service (RWOPS) are verified against the Central Supplier Database and PERSAL System. These are also audited by Auditor General as part of its regular audit process. The tables below depict the information on RWOPS from 1 April 2014 to date.

1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015 (former DRDLR)

(i) Total	(ii) Work Categories
63	Management and general support
8	Administration related
71

1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015 (former DAFF)

(i) Total	(ii) Work Categories
1	Financial Related
1	Management and general support
2

1 April 2015 – 31 March 2016 (former DRDLR)

(i) Total	(ii) Work Categories
63	Management and general support
8	Administration related
3	Social Science related
74

1 April 2015 – 31 March 2016 (former DAFF)

(i) Total	(ii) Work Categories
3	Management support
2	Financial and related
1	Agricultural and support
6

1 April 2016 – 31 March 2017 (former DRDLR)

(i) Total	(ii) Work Categories
60	Management and general support
8	Administration related
3	Social Science related
1	Community Development related
72

1 April 2016 – 31 March 2017 (former DAFF)

(i) Total	(ii) Work Categories
1	Manage and support
1	Agricultural support
2

1 April 2017 – 31 March 2018 (former DRDLR)

(i) Total	(ii) Work Categories
53	Management and general support
3	Administration related
1	Economic advisory
3	Cartographic Surveying and Related Technicians
60

1 April 2017 – 31 March 2018 (former DAFF)

(i) Total	(ii) Work Categories
4	Administration Related
10	Management support
17	Public Health Related
5	Financial and Related
13	Natural Sciences Related
19	Agricultural and support
2	Economic Advisory Support
1	Info Tech and related
1	Horticulturists Fore Agriculture
1	Comm and Info
2	Artisan Foreman
75

1 April 2018 – 31 March 2019 (former DRDLR)

(i) Total	(ii) Work Categories
37	Management and general support
3	Administration related
1	Economic advisory
3	Cartographic Surveying and Related Technicians
44

1 April 2018 – 31 March 2019 (former DAFF)

(i) Total	(ii) Work Categories
14	Administration Related
6	Management and support
11	Agriculture and support
1	Economic Advisory
7	ORG 17 DEFF
1	Line function support and Admin
3	Financial and Related
3	Public Health Related
10	Natural Sciences Related
56

1 April 2019 – 31 March 2020 (former DRDLR)

(i) Total	(ii) Work Categories
3	Health Sciences
8	Management and general support
3	Computer systems
6	Administration related
3	Financial related
2	Natural sciences
3	Finance & Economic
1	Deeds
29

1 April 2019 – 31 March 2020 (former DAFF)

(i) Total	(ii) Work Categories
8	Manage and Support
45	Agriculture and Support
1	Horticulturists Fore Agriculture and Support
54

1 April 2020 – 31 March 2021 (DALLRD)

(i) Total	(ii) Work Categories
22	Management and General Support
12	Financial and Related
6	Deeds
14	Agricultural production related
21	Administration related
6	Natural Sciences Related
3	Economic Development related
1	Material - Recording
1	Community Development
1	Social Sciences related
1	Health sciences related
88

(2) Applications were processed with either approval or disapproval outcome. In an instance an employee was suspected to be in contravention of the Directive such case would be investigated and when found guilty, appropriate actions would be taken.

(2)(a) The Department applies the DPSA Directive on Other Remunerative Work Outside Public Service as contemplated in Section 30 of the Public Service Act, 1994.

(2)(b) Approval is obtained from the Director-General for salary levels 1 – 12 and Minister for salary levels 13 – 16.

(2)(c) There were 5 (2 former DAFF and 3 former DRDLR) instances of contravention of the legislation. However, these were not reported to the National Treasury as this is not a requirement.

(2)(d) Appropriate and corrective actions were taken against the employees that were found to have contravened the law.

Reply:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION 391

 

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

The Ad Hoc Committee to Amend Section 25 of the Constitution, a Committee of Parliament, determined its programme on the amendment of section 25 of the Constitution without involving the Executive, as it is usually the case. The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development is therefore not privy to the reasons for determining the programme in the manner that it is said it has been done by Parliament.

Reply:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION 663

 

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 6-2021 SIXTH PARLIAMENT]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 05 MARCH 2021

663. Mr A N Sarupen (DA) to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development:

Whether (a) her department and/or (b) any entity reporting to her makes use of private security firms; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, what is the (i) name of each firm, (ii) purpose, (iii) value and (iv) duration of each specified contract? NW781E

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD)

(a)(i),(ii),(iii),(iv) Yes. Please refer to the table below.

(i) Name of Security Service Provider	(ii) Purpose	(iii) Value	(iv) Duration
Long term Security Contracts (2 – 3 Years)
Pristo Trading Response	To safeguard and protect departmental assets, information and staff against any risk exposure to theft and damages on a 24/7 basis. The main and focal purpose and objective is to deny access to unauthorized personnel (including attackers or accidental intruders) from physically accessing a building, departmental facilities and safe keeping of resources	R 55 110 734.98	01/12/2019 – 30/11/2022
Prosecure Security		R 19 072 012.00	01/12/2019 – 30/11/2022
Bulcof Security		R 13 357 567.40	01/12/2019 – 30/11/2022
Siyejabula Security		R 37 713 478.12	01/12/2019 – 30/11/2022
Bamogale Security (EC)		R 22 870 556.00	01/12/2019 – 30/11/2022
Bamogale Security (WC)		R 25 286 303.50	01/12/2019 – 30/11/2022
Bamogale Security (MP)		R 37 488 528.00	01/12/2019 – 30/11/2022
Bamogale Security (FS)		R 39 870 757.60	01/12/2019 – 30/11/2022
Bamogale Security (NW)		R 20 978 346.00	01/12/2019 – 30/11/2022
Whisper Security		R 1 767 903.84	01/12/2019 – 30/11/2022
Lekagang Security		R 2 229 050.88	01/12/2019 – 30/11/2022
Octaves Security		R 3 966 583.80	07/04/2019 – 07/04/2022
Octaves Security		R 3 403 618.68	04/04/2019 – 04/04/2022
Octaves Security		R 2 914 008.72	04/04/2019 – 04/04/2022
No Name Security		R 3 404 073.48	03/04/2019 – 03/04/2022
Tsangoane Security		R 1 286 650.56	01/03/2020 – 28/02/2022
Raite Security		R 3 164 902.68	07/04/2019 – 07/04/2022
Modise Security		R 3 075 625.76	09/04/2019 – 09/04/2022
Short term security contracts (3 x months)
Vhunene Security		R 277 951.11	15/12/2020 – 15/03/2021
Reliance Security		R 399 811.89	15/12/2020 – 15/03/2021
Pristo Trading Response		R 275 746.64	10/01/2021 – 10/04/2021
Makjus Security		R 254 092.50	15/01/2021 – 15/04/2021
Black Excellence Forensic and Security		R 222 250.00	15/01/2021 – 15/04/2021
Black Protectors Security		R 267 375.00	15/01/2021 – 15/04/2021
Raite Security		R 261 091.95	16/01/2021 – 16/04/2021
Siyefana Security		R 209 643.76	24/01/2021 – 24/04/2021
George B Security		R 243 501.59	25/01/2021 – 25/04/2021
Rise Security		R 198 532.50	28/04/2021 – 28/04/2021

(b)(i),(ii),(iii),(iv) Entities reporting to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development

Agricultural Research Council (ARC)

Name of each firm	Purpose	Value	Duration
Nceda Cleaning and Security	The purpose of using out-sourced security guarding services is to maintain the integrity and availability of research material and information, protection of assets, control of access in terms of the control of Access to Public Premises Act 53 of 1985 and all other relevant legislation	Nceda Cleaning and Security: R41 779 641,00	The contract supra are for three years (36 months) commencing in /March 2020 and ending in February 2023
Rise Security Services		Rise Security Services: R30 284 011,68
(c) Eldna Security Services		Eldna Security Services: R17 301 311,23

National Agricultural Marketing Council NAMC)

No. The National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) is renting office accommodation form the Landlord, namely Columbia Fall Properties 80 (PTY) LTD, who is responsible for the security of the building

Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP)

Yes. Please refer to the information below:

1. Firm: Ezingeni Security and Cleaning (Pty) Ltd
2. Purpose: Physical Security
3. Value: R3506 580,00
4. Duration: 12 Months (ends July 2021)

Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB)

Yes. Please refer to the information below:

1. Firm: Fidelity Security (PTY) LTD
2. Purpose: Provision of security services (guarding) at the ITB offices.
3. Value: R89 996,80 monthly
4. Duration: Month to month (the 3-year bid is at the evaluation stage)

Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB)

(i) Name of each firm	(iii) Value	(iv) Duration	(ii) Purpose
ADT Security (Pty) Limited (Cape Town)	R 837	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
ADT Security (Pty) Limited (Nelspruit)	R 763	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
ADT Security (Pty) Limited (Paarl)	R 743	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
ADT Security (Pty) Limited (Port Elizabeth)	R 608	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
B & S Alarms	R 195	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
Blue Security	R 696	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
Ceres Alarms	R 832	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
DRS Musina	R 550	Two-Years (Feb 23)	Monitoring & Armed Response
Hexvallei Security	R 389	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
Hi-Tech Monitoring CC (Malelani)	R 450	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
Hi-Tech Monitoring CC (Robertson)	R 350	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
Letaba Alarms	R 579	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
National Security & Fire (Pty) Limited (Cape Town)	R 653	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
National Security & Fire (Pty) Limited (Pretoria)	R 808	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
Specialised Agri Protection Services	R 490	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
Test Lek Security CC	R 400	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
Valley Security	R 240	Month to Month	Monitoring & Armed Response
	R 9,583

Reply:

a) About 1 941 974 hectares of land in North West are held by Government on behalf of traditional communities, whose boundaries are defined in various proclamations.

b) The names and locations of each of the traditional communities concerned are provided in the attached schedule.

c) None

Reply:

 

a) None. People that reside on Ingonyama Trust land do not do so purely on the basis of a Permission to Occupy, but rather on the basis of customary tenure. There are instances where some may have had Permission to Occupy documents issued to them in the past, but the conclusion of a lease has never necessitated that the lessee surrenders the Permission to Occupy or forsake their customary tenure rights. It has therefore never been significant for the Ingonyama Trust Board to record the fact that a lessee may have had a Permission to Occupy document since it plays no significant role in the determination whether a resident on Ingonyama Trust land should be granted a lease or not.

b) The conclusion of a lease agreement by a resident on Ingonyama Trust land has no impact on the customary tenure right of such a resident.

Reply:

a) About 2 883 720 hectares of land in KwaZulu-Natal are held by the Ingonyama, as trustee of Ingonyama Trust, on behalf of the communities that are listed in the schedule to the KwaZulu-Natal Ingonyama Trust Act, 1994. An additional amount of about 559 559 hectares are held by Government on behalf of traditional communities in the same province.

b) The names and locations of each of the traditional communities, on whose behalf the land is held, are provided in the attached schedule.

c) None

Reply:

a) About 642 670 hectares of land in Mpumalanga are held by Government on behalf of traditional communities, whose boundaries are defined in various proclamations.

b) The names and locations of each of the traditional communities concerned are provided in the attached schedule.

c) None

Reply:

a) About 2 912 679 hectares of land in Limpopo are held by Government on behalf of traditional communities, whose boundaries are defined in various proclamations.

b) The names and locations of each of the traditional communities concerned are provided in the attached schedule.

c) None

Reply:

a) About 3 501 621 hectares of land in the Eastern Cape are held by Government on behalf of traditional communities, whose boundaries are defined in various proclamations. The Eastern Cape proclamations however have not been recently mapped since the Provincial Government, with the assistance of the national Department of Traditional Affairs, is still verifying the accuracy and completeness of the proclamations in their possession. Once this process is completed, all the boundaries of traditional communities will be mapped in order to confirm existing information particularly with respect to the boundaries.

b) The names and locations of each of the traditional communities concerned are provided in the attached schedule.

c) None

Reply:

a) About 140 277 hectares of land in the Free State are held by Government on behalf of traditional communities, whose boundaries are defined in various proclamations.

b) The names and locations of each of the traditional communities concerned are provided in the attached schedule.

Reply:

a) About 943 578 hectares of land in Northern Cape are held by Government on behalf of traditional communities, whose boundaries are defined in various proclamations.

b) The names and locations of each of the traditional communities concerned are provided in the attached schedule.

c) None

Reply:

 

a) About 20 182 hectares of land in Gauteng are held by Government on behalf of traditional communities, whose boundaries are defined in various proclamations.

b) The names and locations of each of the traditional communities concerned are provided in the attached schedule.

c) None

Reply:

a) There was an elaborate process that culminated in a narrow criterion, determining whether the property was vacant or underutilised (partially vacant). The process involved a desktop spatial analysis; physical verification; desktop agricultural potential analysis; verification of land restitution claims; and final verification utilising local departmental knowledge. Each one of these steps contain detailed activities that can be outlined should that be considered necessary. The focus, for purposes of this question, will be restricted to the desktop spatial analysis.

The desktop spatial analysis included the identification and sourcing of data sets; definition of the terms vacant and partially vacant (underutilised); defining the parameters to identify vacant and partially vacant agricultural state land; mapping agricultural state land; and performing a desktop Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis on the data.

Identification and Sourcing of Data

The datasets listed below were identified and obtained from the identified data custodians:

• Cadastral data from Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development;
• Deeds Registration data from Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development;
• Land parcels identified as vacant by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure;
• National Land Cover for the year 2017 from Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development;
• South African Protected Areas Database for the year 2018 from Environment, Forestry and Fisheries;
• Indigenous Forests Inventory from Environment, Forestry and Fisheries;
• Land Capability (Terrain Capability) from Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development; and
• Traditional community boundaries from Traditional Affairs.

Definition of Terms and Parameters for determining Vacant Land

• The term vacant refers to a piece of land that is not occupied or not being used for any specific purpose whilst the term partially vacant refers to a property when only parts of it have been classified as vacant.
• The 2017 Land Cover dataset, which was used, is a national land cover classification generated using multispectral satellite imagery with a multi-temporal analysis technique, produced by National Geospatial Information within Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
• The table below shows the selected land cover classes from the national land cover data which were utilised to identify agricultural land as vacant or not vacant.

Selected Land Cover Classes, 2017

No	Land Cover Class	Classification
1	Natural wooded	Vacant
2	Shrubland	Vacant
3	Grassland	Vacant
4	Waterbodies	Not vacant (depending on coverage)
5	Wetlands	Not vacant (depending on coverage)
6	Barren land	Vacant
7	Cultivated	Not vacant
8	Built-up	Not vacant
9	Mines and quarry	Not vacant
10	Planted Forest	Not vacant

• Indigenous forest dataset was used to classify properties located in indigenous forest as not vacant.
• The Protected Areas Database was used to classify properties located within these areas as not vacant.
• Although terrain capability is one of three building blocks (soil, climate and terrain) for land capability, only terrain capability was used in this analysis. Terrain capability includes aspects such as slope gradient, slope direction, slope shape, ground roughness, altitude and streams (drainage network). Land with a terrain capability value between “Very Low and Low to Moderate” was subtracted from vacant and partially vacant land.
• Land that is located within traditional community boundaries was regarded as not vacant.
• State land acquired in terms of the Pro-active Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS) and by the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights, was regarded as not available for redistribution.
• Land that is claimed in terms of the Restitution of Land Rights Act was regarded as not available for redistribution, depending on the phase of the claim and options selected by the claimants.

Criteria Used

• In view of what has been explained above, the ultimate criteria that was determined is that:
  • • • • The land cover class is either grassland, barren land, shrubland or natural wooded;
        • the property is located on suitable terrain capability;
        • the property is less than 10% within an indigenous forest;
        • the property is less than 10% within a protected area;
        • the property is not located in an area which is likely being used for communal grazing;
        • the property is not part of Pro-active Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS) land or State land acquired by the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights for settlement of claims;
        • the land parcel is not un-registered;
        • the aggregated vacant or partially vacant land available per property is bigger than 50 hectares; and
        • The property is not claimed in terms of the Restitution of Land Rights Act.

b) The final list was a product of collaboration amongst various business units of the Department in the manner outlined in the table below:

Desktop Spatial Analysis:	Chief Directorate: Property Management and Advisory Services
Desktop Agricultural Potential Analysis:	Directorate: Land Use and Soil Management
Verification of Land Restitution Claims:	Commission on Restitution of Land Rights
Final Verification utilising local departmental knowledge	Provincial Shared Services Centres

c) No personal communication was sent out to farmers, however there were media briefings that were generally accessible to the public.

Reply:

a) The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development supplied 400 000 disposable masks, 200 000 reusable masks and 400 000 bars of soap for farmworkers.

(b)(i) The total number of black farmers who benefitted is unknown as the masks and bars of soap were mainly given to Organised Agricultural formations to distribute to farming operations irrespective of the race of farmers involved.

(ii) The expenditure was as follows: R13 700 000.00 – Masks.

R4 052 000.00 – Bars of soap.

Reply:

1. Yes, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALLRD) was responsible for identifying the Presidential Employment Stimulus Initiative (PESI) through an application process.

(a) Falls away.

(b) The Criteria used was dealt with in three distinct parts:

A: Compulsory Criteria;

B: Functional Criteria; and

C: Verification Criteria.

(2) Yes. The information on support packages is provided below. The support packages to subsistence producers was determined by the agricultural economists based on the following production sizes:

Commodity	Production size required for support
Vegetable and fruit	1 ha or smaller (smaller than 100 meters x 100 meters or one soccer field);
Maize/soya/cotton/sugar/ grain products/ other	1ha or smaller (smaller than 100 meters x 100 meters or one soccer field)
Poultry	Broilers	100 broilers or less
	Layers	50 layers or less
Livestock	Small Stock Units	25 animals or less
	Large Stock Units	5 animals or less
NOTE: Award sizes will range between R1000 and R9000, and are dependent on the commodity type applied for and verified production scale. The size of the non-financial e-voucher will be determined by the current scale of production after physical verification by the Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural development.

** Please note the verification process in underway **

Section C below unpacks the production sizes further.

Reply:

Yes, the visit was undertaken during the week of 23-26 March 2021 and the two districts being Namakwa and ZF Mgcau were visited. The findings of the visit was that indeed farmers who had applied for drought relief received vouchers to purchase fodder. A total of 3900 farmers across all categories have benefitted in all affected districts. The vouchers received by farmers were equivalent to more than 30 bags of fodder per farmer depending on the number of Livestock Units (LSUs) and this was confirmed by some farmers who were visited. The challenge reported by the farmers was that they are experiencing the aggressive infestation of Prosopis trees which consumes a lot of water. The province is working on this issue through the Land Care programme to eradicate the trees. The fodder bank project was also visited and it was indicated that more than 30 bales of 250kg were harvested and made available for the farmers. The fields were already being prepared for next planting of Lucerne which will be in May 2021. It was also observed that the recent summer rainfalls provided some relief in some areas across the province as there was noticeable veld improvement and also dams contained some rain water.

Reply:

a) There is no land held in the name of any traditional leader or traditional community in the Western Cape.

b)  Falls away.

c) Falls away.

Reply:

a) The date for the gazetting of the draft Animal Welfare Bill has not been set yet. However, as responded to Honourable Winkler to the same question under parliamentary question 2995 in 2020; due to a number of technical capacity constraints, complicated by the issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic situation, the envisaged introduction of the Bill to Parliament in the 2021/2022 financial year was postponed by a year. Consultation with stakeholders on the Bill will be undertaken during the 2021/2022 financial year.

b) The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment that was submitted to the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation is hereby attached.

c) The Bill is drafted by the Animal Welfare Working Group, which consist of the following officials:

• 1. Dr Mphane Molefe – DALRRD
  2. Ms Morongwa Senyatsi – DALRRD
  3. Dr Emmanuel Midzi – North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
  4. Dr Lea Shuda – Northern Cape Department of Agriculture and Land Reform
  5. Dr Christine Meintjes – KwaZulu Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
  6. Dr Themba Malatse – Limpopo Department of Agriculture
  7. Dr Faculty Baloyi – Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
  8. Dr Lungile Jali – Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform
  9. Dr Thelma Mokgophi – Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs
  10. Dr Jurgens Barnard – Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
  11. Dr Michael Swart – Western Cape Department of Agriculture.

It should be noted that the last two names on the list above have only recently joined the working group in 2020 and have not yet participated in the drafting of the Bill.

Reply:

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

(a)(i)

PROVINCE	TOTAL FINALISED
E CAPE	17,663
F STATE	3,278
GAUTENG	11,323
KZN	1,243
LIMPOPO	4,485
MPLANGA	2,999
N CAPE	3,193
N WEST	2,216
W CAPE	17,070
TOTAL	64,422

(ii) 359 cases are in court

(b) Lists attached per Province

(c) Refer to each Provincial list where the year that each case has been in court is captured.

 

END

Reply:

1. (a) Project Kuyasa is in the final stages of consolidating and updating the database on statistics on the work of the Commission including the determination and confirmation of the hectares claim on number of outstanding claims lodged.

(b)

Province	Hectares transferred
Eastern Cape	18 811
Free Sate	60 828
Northern Cape	633 791
Gauteng	6 191
North West	507 475
KwaZulu-Natal	504 391
Limpopo	558 650
Mpumalanga	346 220
Western Cape	10 832
TOTAL	2 647 189

2. (a) 2.6 million hectares

(b) Attached as Annexure A

END

Reply:

a) 140

(b) (c) Attached as Annexure A

Reply:

a) Reclamation, restoration or rehabilitated land is key to increase the production of food in that it brings back land into production. Improving land quality by restoring same degraded lands have potential to increase yields as a results of increased ecosystem services i.e. food and water.

b) Yes.

Reply:

Yes, according to the Department’s records 2 194 individuals were reported to be evicted from the farms under the period in question. Not all evictions are reported to the department or brought before courts.

Reply:

The government’s plan to assist farmers in 2021 and beyond include the following:

• In 2021 and beyond the implementation of the eight (8) production schemes in the AAMP in partnership with the Provincial Departments of Agriculture and other sector partners will be rolled out. The eight production schemes are: grains, white meat, red meat, oilseeds, fibre, industrial crops, fruits and nuts and vegetables.

 

• DALRRD will continue to implement drought mitigation strategies inclusive of developing drought-resistant seeds by the ARC, planting and storing fodder, removal of invasive plants and management strategies to prevent soil degradation.

• The department will pursue the allocation of state land as part of transforming land ownership patterns and promoting access to land, especially for the previously disadvantaged, through allocating land to smallholder producers and enhanced comprehensive support to the smallholders.

• The DALRRD remains committed to supporting agricultural producers towards intensifying the domestic food production amidst the COVID 19 situation. To this effect, implementation of Programmes such as the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP), Ilima Letsema and LandCare are continuing in all Provinces.

• In 2021/22 at least 9 500 vulnerable households will be supported to produce own food through household food gardens and a total of 65 314 hectares will be planted through the Ilima/Letsema conditional grant support of R597 million.

• Support will further be provided through CASP conditional grant amounting to R1.4 billion to 7 800 smallholder and subsistence producers with on-farm infrastructure.

• The Department provided a R1, 2 billion Covid-19 Disaster Relief Agricultural Intervention Fund to provide relief to struggling smallholder and communal farmers in 2020/21.

• The Department is implementing the R1 billion Presidential Employment Stimulus initiative for subsistence producers. This will enable producers to retain self-employment in the agricultural sector.

These interventions are aimed at ensuring increased household food production, whilst increasing food access and improved livelihoods of poor and marginalised households, thereby contributing to food security and economic growth.

2. Yes. Food security remains a fundamental strategic imperative of the South African government in this uncertain period of the COVID 19 situation. The Government, through a multi-sectoral approach, continues to implement the National Food and Nutrition Security Plan (2017 – 2022) which is coordinated from the Office of the Deputy President and Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME). The Plan embodies the government’s collective response to the challenge of food insecurity and malnutrition. A number of programmes under this plan are already being implemented using the existing resources in various government departments.

This plan is implemented through six strategic objectives which are as outlined below:

6 Strategic Objectives (SO) Anchoring the Plan	Lead Department	Other Key Departments and Social Partners
1	Institutional Arrangements for food and nutrition security Establish multi-sectoral Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) Councils and supporting structures oversee alignment of policies, legislation and programmes; coordination and implementation of programmes and services which address FNS and; draft new policies and legislation where appropriate	Office of the Deputy President DPME	DALRRD; DSD; COGTA; DBE; DTI; DRDLR; Provinces; Local government; Civil Society; Organised Labour, Development Partners
2	Establish inclusive local food value chains to support access to nutritious, affordable foods	DALRRD	Water & Sanitation; DTI; DSBD; DST, NT; Civil Society, Development Partners
3	Expand targeted social protection measures and sustainable livelihood programmes	DSD	DOH; Home Affairs; DBE; Provinces and local government; Civil Society; Development Partners
4	Scale up of high impact nutrition interventions targeting women, infants and children	DOH	DBE; DSD; Home Affairs; Civil Society; Development Partners
5	Develop an integrated communication plan to influence people across the life cycle to make informed food and nutrition decisions	DOH	DBE; DSD; Home Affairs; Development Partners
6	Develop a monitoring and evaluation system for FNS in South Africa and establish an integrated risk management system for monitoring FNS related risks.	StatsSA DALRRD	DPME; DALRRD; DOH; DBE; Statistics SA; COGTA

In addition, government implemented a number of interventions in response to COVID 19. These include social protection initiatives and programmes that are aimed at strengthening resilience of livelihood systems in various communities. As part of the governments’ collective response, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is implementing a number of initiatives. These include:

• Intensifying efforts to geographically locate food insecure, vulnerable and hungry population within the country in fulfilment of the Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis Programme spearheaded by SADC.

• DALRRD further conducted a rapid assessment in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations. This was aimed at quantifying the impact of the COVID 19 on agriculture, trade as well as food and nutrition security.

• A total of R81.2 million has also been committed by the Department to conducting the National Food and Nutrition Security Survey for 2021/22 targeting over 84 000 households nationally. The results of this survey and the rapid assessment will inform the collective planning and proper targeting of food security interventions.

Although a few challenges were experienced by producers and suppliers associated with acquisition of agricultural production inputs in the country, overall no major disruptions were experienced during the 2020/21 planting season, which started in October 2020. Despite the challenges of uncertain weather patterns, such as floods and draught, experienced of in some parts of the country, the weather outlook for the 2020/21 planting season has been positive. According to the Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) the preliminary area estimate of maize as at February 2021 is 2,776 million ha, which is 6, 35% more than the 2,611 million ha planted for the previous season. This follows a bumper harvest of about 15.3 million tons of commercial maize that is estimated to be harvested for this season. The country has ample maize to meet the demand in the human and feed markets, and will be able to export into neighbouring countries.

The government of RSA is committed to ensuring food and nutrition security amid the COVID 19 pandemic.

Reply:

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform & Rural Development has provided agricultural training and youth empowerment as follows:

a) Agricultural Training

A total of 2 238 youth have graduated in various programmes in Colleges of Agriculture for the past 5 years. In the main, the youth graduated from the following agriculture study fields: animal production, plant production, irrigation management and animal health.

Currently, a total of 2 540 young people are registered for various agricultural programmes at Diploma level in the 11 Colleges of Agriculture. Of the 2 540 youth registered, 960 are at first year level of their studies, 851 second year and 729 are at third year.

In addition to this, a total of 4 014 youth have been enrolled/registered in training related to the agricultural sector through the NARYSEC Programme in various provinces. Of these youth, 3148 have completed training, and 866 are currently engaged in training in various TVET Colleges and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and are expected to finish by December 2021.

The Recapitalisation and Development programme provided credited and uncredited (on-farm hands on training) benefiting 1 785 youth.

The Department further supports youth who meet the requirements and are interested in pursuing scarce and critical skills in agriculture and land reform through bursary. Since the inception of the Department’s external bursary scheme, a total of 1 738 young people benefitted through under graduate and post graduate studies.

b) Young Farmers’ Development, Extension Services & Empowerment Opportunities

As a form of an exit strategy to the external bursary scheme, the Department further recruit unemployed agricultural graduates and place them in Commercial farms to enhance their employability and practical exposure. A total of 1 029 youth benefitted from graduate placement programme.

To give practically empowerment to youth through the Land Reform Programmes, the Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development allocated 181 703 Ha of land (81 farms) to young people since 2010/2011 financial year benefiting 295 youth.

A total of 989 youth received production support through 1HA -1 household programme further empowering this youth on their various sector related activities. In addition, 6 684 youth directly received support through Recapitalisation and Development programme.

The department is implementing the Strategy for employment of young unemployed agricultural graduates in extension and advisory services. Currently 215 unemployed graduates are employed whereby 46 is employed by DALRRD and a total of 169 is employed by Provinces as follows: Mpumalanga employs 53, Free State 30, North West 46 and Kwa-Zulu Natal employs 40.

.

Reply:

(1)(a) Please refer to the table below.

Breakdown of the R1,3 billion	(a) Items
R 100 million	Land Bank
R 400 million	Production Support (Stimulus Package)
R 20 million	Hygiene
R 1 million	Communication
R 745 million	Production Support (Smallholder & Communal Farmers support)
R 4.1 million	OCR Hardware

(b) There is no breakdown of allocations per province.

2. No. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) sourced personal protective equipment by means of quotations and transversal contracts through emergency procurement process as outlined in National Treasury Instruction Notes No.8 of 2019/2020 and No. 5 of 2020/21.

(a),(b),(c) Falls away.

3. Yes. Please refer to Annexure A.

(4)(a),(b), Please refer to Annexure A.

(c) Minister is unable to divulge the contact details of each farmer without their knowledge and consent.

Reply:

Yes.

a) R519 926 531 paid to date.

b) The Department is unable to determine the number of farmers who redeemed their vouchers as one farmer might have several vouchers but not redeem them all at once.

c) R482 930 327 paid as at end of July 2020.

d) Delays are mainly attributable to the process of reconciliation of each voucher and validating that the right person has redeemed the voucher.

e) Capacity for performing verification and reconciliation of invoices and supplier statements has been enhanced within the Department. Daily reconciliation is done with all invoices submitted.

f) The Department has extended the voucher validity period from 30 September 2020 to 31 December 2020 in order to afford suppliers an opportunity to replenish their stock levels as well as to afford farmers enough time to redeem their vouchers.

Reply:

1. Yes, the Department conducted the assessment of the land in question to determine the state of occupation, immediately identifiable encumbrances and suitability for cultivation or grazing. It is through this work that about 300 000 hectares were identified for restitution, leaving about 700 000 hectares for release. This study further revealed that some pieces of land had occupiers, but the circumstances under which they had obtained possession of the land were not immediately ascertainable hence an enquiry would be necessary to establish, amongst other things, how they accessed the said land

(a),(b),(c)(i),(ii) Falls away.

2. Yes. Assessments and verification of the farms has been conducted by a team of engineers and other crop and livestock specialists. The aim is to assess the farms’ conditions in terms of infrastructure and input requirements. The analysis will be used to provide support in the form of start-up packages in accordance with available resources and in terms of each property’s needs. Support will be guided by the norms and standards for specified infrastructure on these farms. Training for successful beneficiaries is being prioritized and this will involve a skills audit which will be conducted, followed by relevant training. The Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) is geared to support the settled beneficiaries. There are 2 450 Extension Practitioners available in all Districts to support the settled beneficiaries with technological transfer of the latest agricultural production practices.

Reply:

1. In an effort to encourage and assist persons and /or communities in rural areas to utilize the land for food production and food security, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has developed the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan which focuses on district-based commodity production schemes driven through mass production by rural communities and households within a given radius and supported by a Production Support Centre. All existing farmer support programmes of DALRRD are being aligned to this plan which should ensure that at least 1 270 340 rural households are food-secure by 2030.

The issue about agricultural land in communal areas fast becoming residential developments is a function that is currently being managed by traditional councils in whose area of jurisdiction the land currently falls. DALRRD stands ready to assist traditional councils and communities to develop land use schemes that will provide a legal and orderly basis on which the land use can be regulated.

2. DALRRD’s position is that no development or support can be provided on farms that are lying fallow due to land beneficiaries fighting over resources until the dispute is resolved through social facilitation.

Reply:

(a), (b), (c) Yes. The Department has appointed service providers to conduct a full assessment of all farms acquired since the inception of the Land Reform Programme in 1994 which will determine the production levels. The drafted terms of reference confirm that the study will cover the level of productivity of each farm, the reason for the productivity problems of each farm where there is no productivity and the required targeted approach to address issues faced by each farm and the beneficiaries

To date, the Department has conducted a study on PLAS farms to determine the assets verification and suitability, post-acquisition support and enable monitoring of progress of these farms. Although the study did not focus exclusively on productivity, the variables within the questionnaire triggered the response on the actual productive status of the farm to provide a baseline performance statistic.

Reply:

1. Quantities of Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine are procured by instruction of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) through the two State Owned Entities (SOEs), namely the Agricultural Research Centre (ARC) and the Onderstepoort Biological Products. These vaccines are sourced by the SOEs from the Botswana Vaccine Institute for routine vaccination and vaccination when there is an outbreak.

2. Agriculture is a concurrent function as per the Constitution of South Africa. The Provincial Departments of Agriculture are responsible for the provincial operations of veterinary services, including farm visits and schedules.

Below is the state veterinary doctor’s visitation to farmers for the financial year: 2019/20

Province	Annual Target	Pre-audited Annual Achievement ***
Eastern Cape	11 244	13 857
Free State	3 200	4 634
Gauteng	8 500	7 678
KwaZulu Natal	15 000	17 326
Limpopo	15 064	11 960
Mpumalanga	17 798	15 314
Northern Cape	6 000	6 558
North West	12 230	17 030
Western Cape	10 000	14 333
Consolidated	99 036	108 690

***Kindly note that figures are based on 2019/20 pre-audited data as reported by provinces.

Below is the state veterinary doctor’s visitation to farmers for the financial year 2020/2021

Province	Revised Annual Target	Quarter 1 achievement	Quarter 2 Achievement ***	Annual Progress to date	Annual (%) Performance
Eastern Cape	11 024	3 288	5 924	9 212	84%
Free State	2 400	547	923	1 470	61%
Gauteng	6 400	272	1 521	1 793	28%
KwaZulu Natal	20 000	3000	4 837	7 837	39%
Limpopo	3 050	1 767	2 939	4 706	154%
Mpumalanga	17 798	3 310	4 213	7 523	42%
Northern Cape	500	275	686	961	192%
North West	10 382	2 550	3 494	6 044	58%
Western Cape	10 000	1 911	3 768	5 679	57%
Consolidated	81 554	16 920	28 305	45 225	55%

*** For all figures that are highlighted in red, the data has not been verified by DALRRD

3. There is currently no strike at the ARC.

4. (a) The ARC as with many other organizations experienced delay in the procurement of laboratory reagents, mostly due to disruptions in the global supply chains of imported chemicals. (b) The ARC has made adjustments to the complement of employees as per the changes allowed in respect of managing possible impacts of Covid-19, with limited employees on site at any particular point. The ARC is now on full complement of employees to provide full services timeously.

Reply:

1. The National Development Plan (NDP) articulates the importance of both the domestic and exports markets towards realization of the inclusive growth of the agricultural sector. Further, the strategic plan of the Department supports cogent and sustainable agricultural business practices that will ensure economic transformation, inclusive growth and international competitiveness of the sector. Critical to inclusive growth is the participation of previously disadvantaged producers and communities in the mainstream agricultural value chains and export markets. Inclusive growth relates to creating value chain opportunities for penetration and participation by agribusinesses accompanied by growing jobs for the sector. The export of live animals from South Africa allows and provides the base for such participation. The Department only allows these exports when conducted within and in compliance to applicable legislation, including welfare legislation, the Animal Protection Act, 1962 (Act No. 24 of 1962) which regulates against cruelty to animals.

2. Inclusive economic growth is reliant on the competitiveness of the agribusinesses. Further, competitiveness of the agribusinesses drives the ability of the agricultural sector to create sustainable jobs.

3. The Department is working on a draft Animal Welfare Bill for introduction to the National Assembly in the next financial year. The department has received a positive response in the Phase 1 socio-economic impact assessment system (SEIAS) application to the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and has started with internal consultation (DALRRD and provincial Departments of Agriculture) on the draft.

A two-pronged approach towards addressing regulations has been adopted by the Department. Firstly, the Department is drafting regulations relating to the export of live animals under the current Animals Protection Act, 1962 as an interim measure. Secondly the Department will draft new Regulations under the intended Animal Welfare Act once the new Bill has been assented to.

4. No.

Reply:

As per the media release of 18 November 2020, the Minister of Agriculture, Land reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) Ms Thoko Didiza, MP has been made aware by the MEC of Agriculture and Rural Development in KwaZulu-Natal Ms Bongi Sithole-Moloi, MPL of the brucellosis situation in the northern parts of Kwa-Zulu Natal.

DALRRD intends to co-operate with the National and Provincial Departments in raising awareness of the impact brucellosis in humans. Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease (can be transmitted from animals to humans) and it is crucial to follow a One Health approach involving Veterinary and Health Services.

DALRRD participates in the monthly Multisectoral National Outbreak Response Team (MNORT) meetings hosted by the Department of Health, where information on zoonotic diseases is shared between stakeholders. Provincial Veterinary and Health Services are mandated to work in close communication with each other when brucellosis is diagnosed in animals or in humans.

When brucellosis infection is identified in cattle or other animals, Veterinary Services are responsible for informing the owner of the animals that the disease can also be transmitted to humans. They are advised either not to drink milk from these animals, or to boil it first. Owners are advised to consult their clinic or doctor should they show any of the following non-specific flu-like symptoms: recurrent fever, flu-like symptoms, body aches and pains, headaches and depression. The disease in humans can become chronic if medical treatment is not obtained. Other specific symptoms may be seen, depending on the organ system involved. The reproductive organs of both men and women can potentially be affected by brucellosis, which can lead to epididymo-orchitis (swollen testes) and infertility in men and in miscarriages or abortions in pregnant women.

Men and women in rural communities are vulnerable to brucellosis if their cattle or livestock are infected, especially if they consume raw milk and milk products from these animals. Unfortunately, the symptoms of brucellosis are not very specific and can be confused with many other diseases. Clinics and doctors are not always particularly knowledgeable on brucellosis and may not consider it as a potential diagnosis. It is very important that the patient informs the clinic or doctor if they work closely with livestock or if they consume raw dairy products (unpasteurised/ not boiled).

The Department fully supports improved and continuous awareness of brucellosis in humans, through the national and provincial Departments of Health. Having decided to recognise November as a national brucellosis awareness month, the South African Veterinary Council, in partnership with the South African Veterinary Association, the National Animal Health Forum, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and all their associated partners, have embarked on an extensive awareness and education campaign regarding bovine brucellosis which will continue into December. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases and the National Department of Health will be invited to participate in the awareness campaign

Reply:

 

a) (i),(ii) The Extension of Security of Tenure Act of 1997 does not distinguish between farmworkers and farm dwellers. All persons (whether farmworker or farm dweller) residing on farms may be evicted legally in terms of the Act ie with a court order, or illegally which is an eviction without a court order as provided in the Act.

According to the Department’s records, 1 066 households were evicted from the farms from 2007 to 2020. This figure is the number of evictions granted from 2007 to October 2020 by Magistrates’ courts throughout the country. Evictions granted by the Land Claims Court from 1994 to 2020 are not included above as the court is still compiling its statistics and such information will be made available once received on or before 18 December 2020.

It should further be noted that not all evictions are reported to the Department or brought before courts.

b) The provincial breakdown of the 1 066 households is as follows:

Province	Eastern Cape	Free State	Gauteng	KwaZulu Natal	Limpopo	Mpumalanga	North West	Northern Cape	Western Cape	TOTAL
Legal/Court Order	20	112	10	21	2	37	11	8	548	769
Illegally	33	65	27	4	11	48	9	2	98	297
Total	53	177	37	25	13	85	20	10	646	1 066

Reply:

(1)(a),(b) As at 31 March 2020, please refer to the table below.

(a)
No. of days	Quantity	Value
30-60	98	5 615 867.06
(b)
61-90	9	1 807 241.98
91-180	24	1 496 044.94
>180	5	09.60

(2) Please refer to the table below.

Reason for non-compliance

Mitigation

The main contributor to the late payment of service providers is lack of proper internal controls which relate to the tracing of the status of a particular invoice and supporting documents as they are processed through the various verification channels within the Department including from provinces to national office.

The Department implemented the invoice tracking system which allows for more effective tracing of the status of invoices as they are processed through verification channels. The system requires that the Department has one central point for receiving invoices; this makes invoice tracking more effective and efficient. Each official on the chain is allocated a timeframe to perform the relevant function pertaining to that invoice. If there is non-compliance to timeframes, the system escalates the matter to the next level of authority. Change management sessions with all internal stakeholders will be conducted through the Corporate Services Branch. Officials’ performance agreements include the payment of invoices within 30 days as a key performance area on which performance is assessed. Officials found to be non-compliant are issued with letters of non-compliance as a punitive measure and to alert officials of their responsibility in ensuring compliance to the 30 days’ requirement.

Reply:

No. Some members of the Gwatyu community, acting through an attorney, submitted an application for registration of a Provisional Association on 30 July 2014. Question 992 sought information on applications for registration as communal property associations, which were outstanding. The interpretation applied to the word “outstanding”, meant an application that was in the possession of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and was still being processed. The Gwatyu application was not included since it was neither an application for registration of a communal property association nor an outstanding application.

Notwithstanding the above, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has since undertaken a land rights enquiry on all the farms and once finalised, the affected communities will be workshopped on various land holding arrangements and will be given an opportunity to choose the best suitable land holding structure that suits their existing circumstances taking into consideration various land rights that may exist on these farms.

If the community then chooses to register a CPA, the Department will ensure that the requirements that are set out in section 8(4) and (5) of the Communal Property Association Act, 28 of 1996 are met.

(a), (b), (c) Falls away.