Speech by the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development during the strategic planning session for the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Deputy Ministers Dlamini and Skwatsha,
Director General Mlengana, and
Acting Director General Sadiki
Senior Officials and Representatives of Labour
CEO of Entities
Ladies and gentlemen
Today we are almost two months after the National General Elections took place in our country where the electorate exercised their democratic right to vote and
give a mandate those who will be their public representatives in our Parliament and Legislatures.
It is these elections that have also given the governing party a mandate to lead. The mandate of the governing party has been outlined in their manifesto and
found expression in the priorities that government has outlined through President in the State of the Nation Address. These priorities gives us a framework for a
period of five years on what will be our focus. Our mandate therefore is to reflect on how these priorities will find expressions in our strategic plan as well as
implementation plan for each and every year of the five years.
The President in his State of the Nation Address in Parliament said” As we enter this new administration, we will focus on seven priorities:
- Economic transformation and job creation
- Education, skills and health
- Consolidating the social wage through reliable and quality basic services
- Spatial integration, human settlement and local government
- Social cohesion and safe communities
- A capable, ethical and a Developmental state
- A better Africa and a better world
All our programs and policies across all departments and agencies will be directed in pursuit of these overarching tasks. At the same time we must restore the National Development Plan to its place at the Centre of our National effort, to make it part of the lived experience of the South African people.
Let us agree , as a nation and as a people united in our aspirations, that within the next 10 years we will have made progress in tackling poverty, inequality and
unemployment, where:
- no person in South Africa will go hungry
- our economy will grow at a much faster rate Tha our population
- Two million young people will be in employment
To meet our growth targets, we will rebuild the foundations of our economy by revitalizing and expanding the productive sectors.
This require us to reimagine our industrial strategy...
It requires the state to effectively play its role as an enabler that provides basic services and critical infrastructure, a regulator that sets rules that create equitable
opportunities for all players, and a redistribution that ensures that the most vulnerable in society are protected and given a chance to live up to their full
potential.
We are going to substantially expand the agriculture and agro processing sector by supporting key value chains and products, developing markets and reducing
our reliance on agricultural imports.
In the immediate term, government will accelerate efforts to identify and release public land that is suitable for smart, urban settlements and for farming.”
I deliberately quoted extensively on what the President had said, in particular to those areas that impact on us directly.
On Wednesday we have had an opportunity to present to the Portfolio Committee our annual performance plans, albeit as separate entities. Through the interaction with the Portfolio Committee, we also got some insights on the challenges we have on our approaches and delivery model. We also listened carefully to the expectations of their constituencies.
So, today we have to embark on a journey in which we reimagine our destiny for five years and plan the journey conscious of our strengths and weaknesses. We
also need to look at possible opportunities and threats that lie ahead. As we do so, we need to look at how we can circumvent some of those threats and leverage
on the opportunities that are there.
I have noted in your presentation volumes of work that has been put together which I will advise for now we take as background information. You will note that
the documentation still relates to the old establishment yet we need to be forward looking and think anew. Let us for a moment forget who we represent as
departments, but rather imagine a new future that we would want for ourselves. A new future where we will share our knowledge. A new future where those we
serve are our number one clients and to them be the number go to department when faced with challenges. Let us think of an opportunity of creating a new
vehicle that will deliver innovative solutions in resolving land and spatial development. An entity that will bring new technology solutions for farmers, agricultural manufacturers and consumers locally, regionally and internationally.
Let us be a new entity that will attract the young bright minds that will ensure home grown solutions for recording and registering land rights of all citizens and
more particularly the country side. Let us imagine how our Cartography, surveying, cadastral maps can be the best tools for town planners, but can also
intersect with the ARC solutions for providing agricultural climate and other data in support of smart agricultural enterprises.
In order to achieve all of these we need to spend some time to come up with what should be the vision and mission of this Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural
Development department. Secondly we need to come with what are our core values. This must take into cognizance that we want to build a civil service core that will inspire confidence amongst our citizens, because it is us who are the face of government.
Thirdly, we need to look at ourselves a bit. What are our strength, weaknesses, threats and opportunities that can help us achieve our vision.
Once we know who we are we can then putt the building blocks of how we will achieve our goal by having measurable and achievable object is Year on year.
Today we must begin our journey as the new Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
I thank you
