Land Reform, response to the Premier's State of the Province address (SOPA),
Fourth Sitting of the Third Democratic provincial legislature of the Northern
Cape Province
20 February 2007
Honourable Premier
Madam Speaker and Deputy-Speaker
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Members of the Executive Council
Heads of departments
We have carefully listened to what the Premier said when she addressed us on
Thursday. She conveyed an unequivocal message that spoke of the role of the
people of the Northern Cape as an agent of change, dedicated to the task of
building the winning nation to which our province is committed. We have a clear
indication of the task ahead of us. The challenge we face will be to follow and
implement the areas highlighted in the Premier's speech, fully conscious of our
responsibilities to our province and people. It has been our government's
resolve to live up to the commitments we have made to our people.
They speak to the many challenges we have as a country in general and a
province in particular; the challenges of poverty, unemployment,
underdevelopment, landlessness, disease, ignorance and crime. It is for this
reason that we must state our vehement opposition to corruption and reaffirm
our commitment to fight crime and corruption. Crime prevention is a
responsibility of all people in the country and thus we cannot expect the South
African Police Service (SAPS) to deal with it on their own.
In this regard, we will participate in the policing forum, establish street
committees to launch vigorous crime combating and safety programmes. Assist
farming communities with aspects such as animal identification and traceability
to further reduce stock theft. We will work with rural and farming communities
to raise the general awareness and understanding on the role of South Africans
in continental peace and stability as well as to fight xenophobia.
The Department of Agriculture will also intensify rural safety initiatives
with specific focus on issues affecting farm workers.
We acknowledge that alcohol consumption and abuse is a problem in the rural
areas of our province especially among farm workers. This generally leads to
the abuse of women and children.
We will, therefore, support any endeavour to create awareness on the dangers
of alcohol abuse among our farm workers.
We together with the farming communities will also ensure that we
participate in crime prevention efforts including fighting farm evictions to
protect the constitutional rights of our farm workers
Madam Speaker, we have noted the slow pace of land reform and have resolved
that as a national and provincial government support is needed that seeks to
follow alternative methods of land acquisition for land reform and
redistribution purposes, e.g. expropriation. We shall assist all relevant
government structures to finalise their policies on land usage as well as on
the sale or leasing of land by October 2007. We are also in the process of
revisiting the "willing buyer, willing seller" principles to enable the use of
pieces of unused land for job creation initiatives.
Madam Speaker,
We believe that the key interventions identified in the Provincial Growth
and Development Strategy (PGDS) and the recent efforts in developing the
District Growth and Development Strategies (DGDS) are an ideal vehicle to
advance economic growth and ensuring participation of the poor in rural
areas.
Furthermore, Madam Speaker, the focus on job creation should be cantered
around youth development in our province. We should focus on social and
developmental welfare programmes targeting the youth, converting the current
interest in education in fields or areas that can benefit the province in a
whole with educated professionals.
Women empowerment
We should work together with the Office of the Status of Women (OSW) to
ensure co-ordination, implementation and reporting on women empowerment
issues.
I like to commend the legislature for having regular information sessions
for community groups especially women and youth groups so that opportunities
are known to all and not only a selective few.
Food security
Majority of our people are still food insecure. Our interventions will
include:
* distribution of agricultural starter packs
* to promote household food production
* various projects will be implemented at schools, health centres and
communities
* intensify the delivery of compassionate and dignified services to the most
vulnerable groups such as women and children, the disabled, AIDS orphans and
community elders.
Conclusion
In conclusion she has given us many tasks. She has pointed the way forward
towards the further acceleration of the process of reconstruction and
development. She has directed us to work even harder to strengthen the people's
contract to advance the vision of the Freedom Charter. She committed us to
intensify our contribution to the continuing struggle for economic freedom. She
has instructed government to move forward together as a united force selflessly
to serve all the people of the province.
We must mark the opening of the fourth sitting of the third democratic
provincial legislature of the Northern Cape Province as the moment when we
continue the work of implementing what we have started and decided to do. I am
confident that in this regard, we will not disappoint the expectations of the
masses of our people.
I thank you!
Issued by: Department of Agriculture and Land Reform, Northern Cape
Provincial Government
20 February 2007
Source: Northern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.northern-cape.gov.za/)
