L Xingwana: Land handover at Hlomendlini Community Claim

3 December 2006

Amakhosi in our province
Honourable MEC for KwaZulu-Natal Agriculture and Environmental Affairs,
Mtholephi Mthimkhulu
Chief Land Claims Commissioner, Tozi Gwanya
KwaZulu-Natal Land Claims Commissioner, Siduduzo Mayu Sosibo
Members of Ilembe (King Shaka) District, KwaDukuza, Maphumulo, Ndwedwe, Mandeni
local municipalities present here
Claimants as well as beneficiaries
Members of the various media institutions
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

On behalf of the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs, I convey to you
our warmest greetings on this august occasion. I am excited that we are
gathered today to close yet another sad chapter in the history of land
dispossession of Africans in this country.

We have embarked on a process of accelerated land delivery, which seeks,
amongst other things, to restore dignity to the hitherto dispossessed
communities. We are fully cognisant of the fact that some of our people paid
the ultimate price for resisting land dispossession by colonial and apartheid
government. We salute them for the selfless sacrifice they made for our
freedom.

We are fully aware that South Africa cannot be said to be free whilst her
children languish in poverty traps with no land to sustain their livelihood.
Our government has set-up targets for addressing the land question.

The democratic government led by the ANC committed itself to restore the
dignity of those communities who lost their rights in land as a result of past
racially discriminatory legislation and practices. The Land Restitution Act No
22 of 1994 (as amended) is one of the early legislation passed by the
democratic government. This clearly shows that government sees land reform as
one of the urgent priorities of post-apartheid government. This is but one of
the many legislative interventions which our government has pioneered towards a
peaceful, equitable and orderly land reform programme in South Africa.

Land remains a cornerstone of every economic development and social
upliftment in our country, for land is the genesis of our very existence.

The government has embarked on a number of policy interventions aimed at
empowering our society, especially the Africans. Amongst these interventions
are the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) framework and more
recently the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA)
which is aimed at halving poverty and unemployment by 2014.

The government has identified key infrastructure projects with major impact
on AsgiSA. We are already talking about alternative sources of energy like
biofuel derived from cane, the Durban Dube Trade Port, the Makhathini Cassava
and Sugar projects. All these big initiatives are earmarked for this province,
KwaZulu-Natal. It is therefore important to locate land reform projects within
the broader framework of government economic development programme.

Today we are officially handing over 533,61 ha of commercial agricultural
land to 250 families who constitute the KwaHlomendlini community. These
families were forcefully removed in the 1970s as a result of Proclamations No
229 and No 230, both of the Group Areas Act No 36 of 1966. As a result of
dispossession, these families lost their right to use their land. They were
regarded as occupying this land illegally and were loaded onto the then Port
Natal Administration Board trucks and were dumped in Bulwer Trust Farm in
Stanger. The land we are restoring today produces sugarcane, so effectively we
are not only handing over land but also an asset that would generate immediate
income for the families.

Let me take this opportunity to commend KwaHlomendlini community, especially
Ms Philisiwe Ngcobo, for lodging this land claim on behalf of this community.
Today your courage, dedication and patience have paid off and we are here to
testify that your land rights have been restored in full.

Let me further commend this community for setting aside 3ha of land from
which cash crops such as cabbage are produced and sold to the fresh produce
market. The involvement of KwaHlomendlini youth in this project is applauded by
the government and will encourage the youth in general, to take farming as a
career.

As we seek various ways to address poverty, we look upon communities like
this one to take advantage of the new opportunities presented by government.
Sugarcane remains one of the important commodities which create employment
opportunities whilst also generating revenue for the country. This government
is committed to ensure that blacks benefit from the entire value chain in the
sugar industry.

Ladies and gentleman, the success of projects like this one relies heavily
on how all spheres of government and all other stakeholders work together in an
integrated manner. Allow me to take this opportunity to commend Tongaat Hullet
(Darnall Mill) for donating seed-cane and for offering extension support
services to this community for the establishment of more sugarcane. I also
extend my gratitude to the neighbouring farmer, Mr Mahlakaniphana Gumede, who
has freely mentored and continues to assist this community in sugarcane
farming.

We are very encouraged with the role the provincial Department of
Agriculture and Environmental Affairs has played in various land restitution
projects in this province. It has always been a government objective to create
sustainable land reform projects which would revolutionise the agricultural
sector in South Africa. We are aware that most of the land reform beneficiaries
do not have the start-up capital, the agricultural equipment or expertise to
run viable commercial agricultural businesses.

We have therefore sought to empower our people through the Comprehensive
Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) and Siyavuna Programme, an initiative
that assists farming communities in their specific line of production. This has
allowed beneficiary communities to capitalise the farms with much needed
implements thus improving production efficiency. This intervention is beginning
to bear fruits in areas such as Mpangisweni in the Zululand district, Engadini
in the Mgungundlovu district, and Charlestown to name but a few. This will
ensure the long-term sustainability of land restitution programme in
KwaZulu-Natal.

Let me conclude by saying that the present government is committed to the
speedy resolution of all land claims. We want to assure you that ours is an
orderly and peaceful land reform founded on the rule of law equity,
reconciliation and justice. We therefore owe it to ourselves to use this
natural resource productively. The world is watching us in awe for what we have
achieved in just over a decade of our democratic dispensation. Let us use our
land as a tool to unlock economic development and poverty eradication.

I thank you. Umhlaba!!!

Issued by: Department of Land Affairs
3 December 2006