‘Land reform projects set up to fail’

THE DA has hinted that current land reform models are deliberately set up to fail in order to build a case for the indiscriminate expropriation of land.

Speaking during yesterday’s budget debate in the Northern Cape Legislature, the DA’s alternate spokeswoman on Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform, Safiyia Stanfley, pointed out that several land reform projects in the Northern Cape had failed, resulting in thousands of hectares of state land remaining unproductive.

Stanfley referred specifically to the Kalahari Kid Corporation, which, she stated, had failed to commercialise the goat industry and was running at a loss since its establishment 15 years ago.

“The department is this year spending R121.650 million on the National Agriculture Marketing Council which will serve as the implementing agent of the vineyard development scheme in the ZF Mgcawu district. This body, however, specialises in marketing and not farming and as a result of its obvious lack of technical knowhow, the area at the Onseepkans vineyard development scheme is being de-bushed for the third time, at a cost of millions of rands to the taxpayer.”

Stanfley questioned why the department had not learned from past mistakes, like the failed Hartswater olive project.

Expropriation

“It almost seems as if the MEC wants the current land reform models to fail so that he can build up his case for the indiscriminate expropriation of land.”

She added that while the DA did not oppose the Expropriation Bill, expropriation simply for the sake of expropriation, and not in line with the constitution, would not benefit the people of the Province.

“Instead, it will cripple existing business enterprises, result in immediate retrenchments and instantly decrease the Province’s contribution to the GDP.

“The uncertainty that it will create with regard to property rights will also lead to disinvestment in the country, further weakening the already fragile rand and cause even more job losses.”

She called instead for land reform that fixed the skewed patterns of land ownership and en- sured productivity of the land, contributed to food security and achieved profitability for historically disadvantaged land owners.

“Such land reform requires the appointment of beneficiaries who love the land and actually want to farm it. It requires partnerships, joint ventures, mentorships and share equity schemes that are contractually binding and properly managed as well as assurances of land tenure.”

She called on the department to harness the skills of experienced farmers in order to the benefit land reform and the agricultural sector as a whole.