Seeds of hope have been planted anew

THE link between the president’s State of the Nation Address and the minister of finance’s Budget speech created a proportionate posture that the government is hard at work making South Africa a better place for all who live in it.

The juxtaposition of the two speeches within the advent of political and economic uncertainty spoke in one unambiguous voice that we need to plant anew towards prosperity.

As both the speeches alluded, we mustn’t be critics who count how the strong man stumbles and point out how the doer of deeds could have done them better; as South Africans we must put our shoulders to the wheel and work hard to sow the seed of renewal and growth.

The Budget speech planted anew and sowed the seed of renewal. The R3.7 billion set aside to assist emerging farmers seeking to acquire land for farming is a seed that the government is sowing today to propel emerging farmers to prosper in future.

This allocation will assist the 250 000 emerging farmers, whom the president referred to in his speech, who are working the land and need support to fully develop their businesses.

The R1.8bn that is allocated for the implementation of 262 priority land reform projects over the next three years will be a shot in the arm for the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to expedite land reform projects.

This further echoes the president’s remarks that an accelerated programme of land reform has the potential to expand agricultural output and promote economic inclusion.