Environmental Affairs MEC honourable Mtholephi Mthimkhulu at the Zululand Land
and Agrarian Indaba Cecil Emmet Hall, Vryheid
6 December 2007
Programme Director
Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs, Ms Lulama Xingwana
Colleagues in the Provincial Executive Council
Chairperson of the Zululand House of Traditional Leaders, uMntwana
wakwaPhindangene
Honoured AmaKhosi present
Honourable Members of the Provincial Legislature present
His Worship, the Mayor of Abaqulusi Municipality, Councillor M Dlamini
Councillors present:
Acting Director-General for Land Affairs Department, Mr Thozi Gwanya
Deputy Director-General for Land and Tenure Reform, Mr Mduduzi Shabane
Acting Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs Mr Harry
Strauss
Senior Management from the Departments of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs
as well as Land Affairs
Representatives from non-governmental organisations present
Representatives from community-based organisation present
Representatives from organised agriculture
Representatives from other government departments present
Invited guests
Members of the media present
Ladies and gentlemen
Programme Director, my brief is very simple and that is to welcome all the
delegates to the two-day Land and Agrarian Indaba. We are gathered this morning
as different stakeholders in the land and agrarian sectors with the sole intent
of deliberating on the challenges that pose a threat to the stability to these
sectors.
Programme Director, the genesis of this two-day Indaba could be traced back
to incidents of the past as well as on-going incidents affecting social
stability, provision of basic services and infrastructure for people working
and/or living on commercial farms in the District. This particular district has
been a witness to numerous incidents affecting both farm hands, farm dwellers,
tenants and farmers.
These incidents range from well-documented atrocities perpetrated on farm
workers, and children by certain farmers to the equally heinous criminal acts
that have been perpetrated on some farmers during the last couple of years. In
addition to this, we have seen an increasing escalation of hostilities between
land rights advocacy groups and some farmers in this area. One example that
comes to mind is that of the recent protest march on the Uitvaal Farm by a
group of protesters where I am reliably informed there is a gazetted labour
tenancy claim.
Programme Director, representations have been made to my office about the
perceived biased nature of the criminal justice system in this part of our
Province particularly in Vryheid and Pongolo. Whilst we are in unison in that
everybody is equal before the law and that the Constitution is the supreme law
of the land, for many farm workers and their children in this district such
assertions remain just a mirage given their daily experiences when dealing with
the organs of state charged with dispensing justice in an equal and fair
manner.
Therefore, as we deliberate over the various issues during the two days of
the Indaba, we should be mindful that we have an added responsibility as
government to inculcate in those charged with the administration of justice in
this area starting with the police, our courts that the rule of law starts with
the realisation that all people are equal before the law.
We as the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs we have
identified several objectives for the Agricultural sector in this District.
These include the acceleration of land reform support, identifying and
developing opportunities for local and international markets. We have also
support land care and alien weed control programmes as well as agricultural
processing development. We strongly believe that the above programmes will go a
long way to enhance the economic performance of the agricultural sector in the
district.
Programme Director, as government we are of the opinion that the two-day
deliberations will bear fruitful outcomes that will be able to map a way
forward thus ensuring that the agricultural sector in this District continues
to play its historic critical role of providing food security and employment.
With those short remarks, I wish you all the success during the deliberations
over the next two days.
I thank you!
Issued by: Department Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, KwaZulu-Natal
Provincial Government
6 December 2007
