President Cyril Ramaphosa says land reform beneficiaries are being offered support in the form of training and finance, among others, so that they can in the end be successful farmers.
The President said this when he responded to the debate on his State of the Nation Address, in the National Assembly, on Thursday.
“The lack of land is – alongside the lack of skills – one of the greatest impediments to growth and prosperity.
“It is for this reason that we are undertaking a programme of accelerated land reform that focuses not only on redistribution, restitution and tenure reform, but also on the support that beneficiaries need – in the form of training, finance, extension services and implements – to be successful farmers,” he said.
The President said unless the patterns of land ownership are changed, and unless all South Africans are given access to land for agriculture, for commerce, for housing, “we will not only be perpetuating a grave injustice, but we will also be constraining the economic potential of our land and our people”.
The President said that government supports the amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution and that as announced in his State of the Nation Address last week, government is drafting a new Expropriation Bill to clarify the circumstances under which land may be expropriated without compensation.
“This is just one of the mechanisms available to government to effect redistribution.
“Far from undermining property rights, these changes will broaden the property rights of all South Africans.”
Infrastructure a catalyst for growth
The President said substantial infrastructure investment that he announced during SONA last week will be a catalyst for economic activity and will make the economy more competitive.
“But it will also make a direct and immediate contribution to lowering the cost of living and improving the quality of life for millions.
“The infrastructure build programme makes public transport safer and more reliable.
“It makes the school environment more conducive for learning,” he said.
The President also said that infrastructure investment improves the quality of health care; makes broadband more accessible and affordable; rivers safer for schoolchildren to cross and that it provides decent living quarters for students and makes it easier for small-scale farmers to access markets.
“Earlier this week, we met with representatives of several finance institutions – both domestic and international – who were enthusiastic about the potential for infrastructure development in South Africa.
“They are committed not only to work with us to develop blended financing options, but also to mobilise the skills we need to prepare and execute infrastructure projects.
“I agree with Honourable Members who say that we need to be more innovative in our approach to infrastructure through, for example, build, operate and transfer schemes – where we mobilise private capital to meet a public need.” – SAnews.gov.za
