Speech by KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Cyril Xaba at the workshop on the establishment of the Provinces District Land Committees (DLDS): A new approach to land reform and growing agriculture
Introduction
A criticism often levelled at government is that we have the best policies and proposals but that these are not being implemented. Our meeting today is about action. It is about implementing a proposal from the National Development Plan (NDP) and that is, the launch of the KwaZulu-Natal District Land Committees.
The establishment of District Land Committees is a bold and new approach to the way we do business. It is a “bottom-up” integrated approach that will address issues of speeding up the land reform process, growing the business of agriculture and above all addressing poverty in the rural areas. It is an approach that sees different levels of government coming together–national, provincial and local to implement the plan.
Above all, it seeks cooperation from the commercial farming sector, organised agriculture as well as representatives of local communities.
The aim of setting up District Land Committees, is to work in cooperation and partnership to share knowledge and skills and grow the agricultural sector. I am grateful that representatives from organised agriculture and Salga are here to contribute their inputs.
The launch of District Land Committees and getting them working is important. If we do not do this we will be failing our people particularly, the most vulnerable members of our society – the rural poor.
My task this morning is to outline the purpose of why we are establishing District Land Committees. Other speakers will present the details on the roles, objectives, implementation and mechanisms of how the District Land Committees will function.
