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11 April 2007

Honourable MEC for Agriculture, Mr Mandlenkosi Mayisela
Members of the Mayoral Committee in the district present today
Chief Land Claims Commissioner, Tozi Gwanya
The Commissioner on Restitution of Land Rights: Gauteng and North West Provinces, Ms Tumi Seboka
Members of organised agriculture
The previous landowner, land non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other organs of civil society
Claimants as well as beneficiaries
Members of the various media institutions
Businesses as well as other stakeholders represented this morning
Distinguished guests
Fellow South Africans

It is truly an honour for me to meet you today as you are a special category of our citizens, who give selflessly of your time and energy to ensure that the land of your ancestors has returned. History will indeed record your hard work and afford you the respect and admiration of our people for having fought against poverty, underdevelopment, marginalisation and backwardness.

Indeed, we are today presented with a rare opportunity to publicly make land restitutions a living legacy and to further add another page in the book of South African history. The land we are restoring today marks the ongoing and heightened government efforts in ensuring that all the claims that have been finalised are restored in a dignified manner.

Let me begin by congratulating the commission in this province for their phenomenal achievements in the delivery of land restitution claims. From the beginning of the financial year March 2006, the office has managed to restore 219 885 hectares of land with a total number of 103 135 beneficiaries to 24 094 households. While land restitution programme has resulted in more settlements in the recent period, we still need to put more extra efforts in dealing with remaining cases many of which are much more complex.

In talking about the complexities, we are referring to the challenge which includes the following:
* resistance from landowners and sky scraping land prices
* disputes on boundaries among traditional leaders
* difficulty in obtaining documents for claimants verification
* difficulty in obtaining archival research information due to unavailability of maps and title deeds
* number of players and interests involved in some claims,(often many stakeholders which becomes difficult to manage)
* cases in court and untraceable claimants.

In response to these challenges government has developed strategies such dealing with claims in phases, batching of claims and shorting the project circle, continuously engagement with traditional leaders, business sector, organised agriculture, land rights movements and as well as other governmental departments. More importantly we also opt for expropriation as a means to fast track the land claims process. In doing so, we seek to solicit more buy-in from our stakeholders as well as to ensure corporative governance.

I must remind you that the land restitution programme, among others, aims at bringing about reconciliation and economic stability. In this regard the settlement of all claims is in the interest of both landowners and claimants. The expeditious restoration of land rights to their rightful owners will enable us to build a society in which all of us will enjoy the fruits of freedom and greater prosperity.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here to give land with pride and we are delighted that the day has finally come. This is one of the mass hand-over celebrations that we have ever conducted in the province, precisely because it includes about five claims with huge tracts of land that can be estimated to 8 000 hectares of land to the value of R13 433 350 and grants to the value of R4 136 625. Over 8 000 hectares of land is indeed a greater achievement for us as the government, indeed as a country, a country that has come from a heinous past with which our people were never accorded an opportunity to have a sense of ownership.

The communities I am talking about include Madiakgame Community, Apple green, Tsola-Maine, Sebitloane, Sehole land, Mothudi individual families in respect of the farm Madiakgame Native reserve 241 IN, Holpan 645 HN, Villa Franca 6 680 IN and Zevenfontein 240 HN rural land in the Bophirima District, North West province.

We have observed with keen interest as a government what happens to the land after restoration. I must say it is not a pleasing observation. Infights among claimants, traditional leaders should not be a defining role of this community.

These farms were declared a "Black Spot" in terms of the Black Land Act No 27 of 1913, which means that the owners had either to move to the alternative land or risk being expropriated by the apartheid government and owners were forcefully moved to another place. The claimants are claiming unregistered rights held by the community on the farm and some were offered alternative land.

Some community members were offered between three and eight pounds depending on the assets a resident had and some were offered nothing. Claimants could not buy another land of the same potential or replace their properties lost during forceful removals and they also suffered serious hardships as a result of dispossession by losing their stock and valuable items

Upon approval of the claim, the commission engaged the North West Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment (NWDACE – Bophirima District) to conduct farm assessment. North West Parks Board has conducted a feasibility study on the farms for game farming and a further feasibility study and animal counting for the fame will be conducted by NWDACE immediately after the hand-over celebration. Other stakeholders have been consulted which resulted in the formation of Post Settlement Projects Steering Committees (PSC) in Kagisano, Naledi and Lekwa-Taemane local municipalities. The forum sits monthly and the following stakeholders are represented: two representatives from beneficiaries, Regional Land Claims Commission (RLCC), local municipality, Department of Labour and the Department of Agriculture, parks board have also been identified and other stakeholders will be identified as the process progresses.

In most of the farms, the current landowners are still on the farm and are currently using the farm for livestock farming, e.g. cattle. The land is fairly developed and currently well managed. Some boost with the carrying capacity which is estimated at 10 hectares per mature livestock unit (MLU).

These properties are situated in an area which is by and large a veld grazing area with no dryland arable area and the irrigation system is virtually non-existent. However, there is sufficient water in and around the area which might be used for cash crop production. The beneficiaries plan to retain the status of the land which is livestock farming, game farming and dryland farming. The NWDACE were engaged for the compilation of a business plan by end July 2007.

I must say that some of the farms have been transferred to the State for caretakership arrangements while others have been directly transferred to the CPA. In communities where there is no transfer, it is precisely because there is no legal entity to man the land. However, the challenge is the allocation of development grants and settlement planning grants that would enable beneficiaries to embark on sustainable farming enterprises. The question of lease agreements during the time where the land has to be restored back to people remains a challenge precisely that the current owners wants lease agreements that are favourable for them.

The land we are restoring to you is "not a ready made land" waiting for harvest season, is a land that still needs proper care, nurturing and selflessness dedication.

We encourage you to go on a fact-finding mission on your neighbouring farms, successful and unsuccessful land; try to draw lessons from their experiences. Observe if there are commonplaces, as the saying goes "better learn from someone's mistakes and make the most of it".

After today, the ball will be in your court, however or fortunate enough you won't be alone because through the Municipal Integration Planning Development (MIPD) and other frameworks which have been created to specifically deal with development and land use issues will be able to assist with special services.

The land we are restoring to you is situated in the western corridor of the province, which resides within the provincial growth and development strategy of the government. It therefore provides us with an opportunity to place government programme to a greater height whilst providing claimants with access to resources integral to this programme.

We remain committed in achieving our mission of restoring land, human dignity and respect to historically disadvantaged South Africans whose ancestral land was brutally dispossessed as a result of the racial unjust laws.

Land restitution, a living legacy!

Issued by: Department of Agriculture
11 April 2007