Madam speaker
His Excellency President Jacob Zuma
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa
Honourable Minister Nkwinti
Honourable Ministers
Deputy Ministers
Honourable Members of Parliament
Officials of the Department
Our partners in Rural Development and Land Reform
Distinguished Guests
Fellow South Africans
Let me begin by re-emphasising what was said by the President of the ANC in the January 2014, in the ANC 102 anniversary, I quote “The ANC together with the communities will work towards poverty eradication in rural areas. Accordingly the current rural development policies suggest an instrument and approaches for effective rural poverty eradication, and further to mobilise and organise rural communities against the roots of racialised and gender –based rural poverty”.
Madame Speaker, to advance this task,
The supreme law of the land, the Constitution, obliges us to take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to foster conditions which enable an equitable land dispensation with a bias towards rural areas.
Having this at heart, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform was established in May 2009.
Madame Speaker
Twenty years since the advent of democracy, a lot has been achieved towards reversing the negative legacy of the 1913 Natives’ Land Act. The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform introduced the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme in July 2009 and since then the programme has been implemented in all nine provinces.
The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) rolls out in 3 phases, which run both sequentially and simultaneously. Phase 1 deal with “meeting basic human needs” with infrastructure as a key driver, including food security; Phase 2 focuses on “rural enterprise development”; and Phase 3 relates to “rural industries” supported by localised markets, credit facilities.
The vision of the CRDP of creating “vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities is beginning to be evident in some of the earlier villages where CRDP was implemented like Diyatalawa in the Free State which was developed as the first rural green village.
Since the start of the CRDP in this area various interventions dealing with the three phases of the CRDP have been implemented ranging from improved housing; access to water, sanitation and energy. This has been coupled with enterprise development which included the development of 100 hectares under irrigation, provision of dairy infrastructure and an improved livestock programme.
All of the above have contributed significantly to the change in people’s lives. Other communities where a marked improvement has been noted include Masia in Limpopo, Mvezo, Ludondolo and Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape, Witzenburg in the Western Cape, Devon and Sokhulumi in Gauteng, Riemvasmaak in the Northern Cape, Msinga, Uthungulu and Mansomini in KwaZulu-Natal, Virginia in the Free.
State, Dabulamanzi bordering the North-West Province and the Free State, Mayflower, Donkerhoek and Mhlongamvula in Mpumalanga, to name but a few.
As we begin to move South Africa forward together, we have taken cognisance of the fact that comprehensive development is not an event but rather a process that requires a consolidated long term plan which covers all the areas that impact the life of a rural person. This holistic change is well captured in the strategy of agrarian transformation, which refers to the “rapid and fundamental change in the relations of land, livestock, cropping and community.” This means that agrarian transformation is not just land reform. It is about social, technical, economic, political, cultural, organisational and institutional issues and questions.
Hence in areas like Diyatalawa and Muyexe, which was the first pilot, the department is still working with those communities to ensure radical socio economic change continues.
In the current financial year, amongst others, we will be focusing on improving rural road access across the country. In this regard in Diyatalawa we have in the first quarter completed a 22 metre bridge at a cost of R21 million and we are also actively involved in paving 8,5km of internal access roads in Muyexe at a cost of R23 million.
The department has over the past term been partnering with various research institutions to find new technologies that could be utilised to develop rural areas.
For example, we are partnering with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and will this year test the implementation of the ultra-thin concrete road technology in the Eastern Cape. This is a very labour intensive technique that could provide us an opportunity to improve access in rural areas at a lower cost while still contributing to job creation.
Furthermore we are exploring the use of technology to assist in recycling projects that could serve as an enterprise model. One such initiative that we are looking into is where tyres from mines and other sources can be used to generate fuel; recycled into tiles for roofs or even paving. In this financial year we will invest R12 million in research projects.
Meeting basic human needs is the first phase of the CRDP and the department has been working closely with Department Cooperative Governance (DCOG) and rural municipalities to ensure improved access by rural households. In this financial year 8 000 households will be assisted at a cost of R126 million to access basic services. All of the above interventions will link directly with the Medium Term Strategic Framework target of increased access to basic infrastructure and services.
Madame Speaker, revitalisation of rural towns is key to ensure that rural urban linkages are created for sustainable economic transformation of the rural space. We are pleased to announce that in this financial year the department will be managing the implementation of the neighbourhood development partnership grant in support of rural municipalities. This is being done through an agreement with National treasury and it is anticipated that over the next 18 months this programme will be transferred fully to the department, which would give us the ability to expand the work that we have started with the 27 priority rural districts.
The second phase of the CRDP focuses on enterprise development. In this financial year the department will continue to promote sustainable rural livelihoods and sustainable rural enterprises and industries. Interventions for this year will be focused on commodity value chains including arts and crafts, red meat, poultry and vegetables.
Over the past year the department has been supporting various womens’ cooperatives to expand their arts and crafts enterprises. On the 19 July 2014, we hosted a Rural Womens Conference to initiate a process towards the organising of 93 Arts and Crafts cooperative enterprises with a membership of 1 088 rural women, into a Cooperative Finance Institution, a precursor of an Arts and Crafts Cooperative Bank.
The department has in the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) committed to supporting smallholder farmer development and support. One of the programmes launched by the Minister is the Animal and Veld Management Programme. The department has been working with communities in communal areas to ensure improved quality of livestock while at the same time ensuring that farmers begin to participate more actively in the market. To this end agricultural infrastructure in the form of dip tanks, fencing, animal handling facilities and sales yards are being provided.
In KwaZulu-Natal we are partnering with the Provincial Department of Agriculture and will implement approximately 200 projects covering ten priority districts.
Furthermore, the Livestock Auctions that was started at Msinga in KwaZulu-Natal, will be rolled out to two additional provinces.
As part of the AVMP, we have been working with the Woolgrowers Association of South Africa towards meeting the target of introducing, in the current MTSF period, 70 000 rams will be introduced to improve wool production in the Northern West, Northern Cape, and the Eastern Cape. In the Eastern Cape alone the department and the SA Woolgrowers Association will be supporting in the next three years over 17 000 wool producers in 334 villages.
In our rural industries development programme, in partnership with the ARC we will launch in the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, North West and Limpopo Province the production of lost Indigenous Vegetables and Medicinal Plants.
We will facilitate the provision of manufacturing equipment and facilities for 10 Micro-Factories in the apparel production industry in the Eastern Cape and we will be expanding the Tile Manufacturing Factory, the Compost and Mushroom manufacturing industries that we have started in the Western Cape, expanding job opportunities inside our rural townships.
We are providing support to rural communities to develop to participate in the essential oil and perfume manufacturing industry.
The department will invest approximately R380 million to support formal and informal rural enterprises in the selected commodities and value chains and rural industrial development.
Madame Speaker, His Excellency, The President in the State of the Nation address placed emphasis on skills development. In this regard, the department will enhance the implementation of the National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC) programme with the main objective of recruiting and developing rural youth to become agents of change in rural areas.
To date, 13 894 rural youth had been recruited and more than 5000 of these youth have been trained in various construction disciplines including community house building, paving, welding, and electrical engineering.
In terms of the MTSF, it is anticipated that 50 000 youth will have been engaged in this programme by 2019. 5000 training opportunities will be provided to youth in this financial year. A clear exit strategy that ensures sustainability of youth cooperatives has been articulated by the Minister in his address when he made reference to the Mega Rural Youth cooperative.
During the first 100 days the following projects will begin:
Tugela Bridge (model) based on preliminary designs
The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR), the National Department of Transport (NDOT) and the Provincial Department of Transport are collaborating in the building of a bridge over the Tugela River to improve access to communities in the surrounding Msinga. Preliminary designs for the bridge have been completed and construction of the 170 million bridge will start in the current financial year. The total cost of the bridge estimated at R30 million. A model of this bridge will be presented to the community in August this year.
Masia Multi-purpose Centre
In Masia in Limpopo, the department to ensure improved access to services, has been working with rural communities and have been constructing a Multi-purpose facility comprising of Library, amphitheater, administration block and a computer center. Construction work will be completed by the end of September 2014. The total cost of the project is R29, 5million
Beaufortwest Youth Hub
The DRDLR is working with the Beaufortwest Local and District Municipalities in building a youth hub consisting of a renovated community hall (complete), amphitheater, Learning Centre, Gymnasium, and swimming pool at a total cost of R50 million. The facility includes an Further Education and Training (FET) College which will become a key centre for skills development for the Narysec programme. We hope to replicate this model in other rural areas in the country.
iSchool Africa Rural Development Programme Launch
Since 2010 the department has been implementing a rural ICT programme to ensure improved access in rural areas and ensure that communities are part of the knowledge economy. In this financial year the department working with the Private Sector will be launching in August the iSchoolAfrica Rural Development Programme which targets learners in rural areas. By the end of this financial year we would have reached 61 rural schools and 40 000 learners. To ensure sustainability of the programme, 292 Narysec youth will be trained to assist as facilitators attached to schools.
Tugela Ferry Irrigation Scheme
The National Development Plan (NDP) identifies revitalisation of irrigation schemes as an important aspect for job creation. To this end one of the projects that we have completed in the first quarter of the financial year is the revitalisation of irrigation infrastructure along the Tugela river of a 1000ha of crop fields. This irrigation scheme benefits several approximately 1716 small-holder farmers in the area. The total cost of this project is R40 million.
Msinga Auction Facility
The Msinga Auction facilities, including and administrative block will be completed in September 2014 and will contribute to the livestock improvement and animal and veld management programme that is being implemented in the area. This facility together with the full roll out of the AVMP will contribute to local economic development.
ThabaNchu College
The Thaba Nchu College in the Free State, has been identified to serve as headquarters for the National Rural Youth Service CORPS (NARYSEC). It will serve to accommodate youth during recruitment, induction, medical assessments, and skills development. It will become the base from which the entire programme will be coordinated for the country. As part of the re-orientation of the mindset of young people in the country the facility will become the final resting place for 1913 Natives Land Act Exhibition. Besides being and essential part of the Narysec curriculum the exhibit will also be managed and run as a living museum that will contribute to tourism in the area. It is envisaged that the maintenance of the college and all improvements, including new construction work, will provide training and skills opportunities for NARYSEC youth.
Kgosi Maroka Thaba Nchu is in attendance today and we look forward to working with her community to ensure that this college becomes a catalyst for economic transformation of the greater Thaba Nchu area.
We will also launch the Custom Feeding Projects under the Red Meat Improvement Programme with the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) in the Gxwal’ubomvu Village in Tsomo, Chris Hani District Municipality. Just over 1000 cattle farming households are participating. This project will be expanded to involve 3000 cattle owning rural households and rolled out to two more provinces.
In conclusion, Madame Speaker, we are certain that through the CRDP, working together, we are surely moving Rural South Africans forward; towards a sustainable, vibrant, equitable future.
Ngiyabonga, Ngiyathokoza.
