Deputy President Mabuza hails progress on land reform process

Deputy President David Mabuza has today, Friday, 21 February 2020, convened the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Land Reform at Tuynhuys, Parliament in Cape Town, to assess progress made in accelerating the land reform process.  

The IMC on Land Reform chaired by Deputy President Mabuza was established to coordinate and implement measures to accelerate land reform, including land tenure and administration, the provision of agricultural support and redress of spatial inequality within a broad and comprehensive land redistribution and agricultural development programme, among other things. 

The meeting considered progress made by Government with regards to the programme and plan of action for the release of state-owned land parcels for human settlement and agricultural production. Furthermore, the meeting considered Government response in dealing with the crisis of drought and water challenges.   

With regards to the release of state-owned land, Government will in line the announcement made by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week during the State of the Nation Address, release about 700 000 hectors of land parcels to beneficiaries at various provinces between March and December 2020.

“Our commitment to fast-track the process of land reform as part of our efforts to address the challenges of landlessness, poverty and inequality is beginning to show steady progress with the ongoing release of the land owned by the state. Members of the IMC on Land Reform will now embark on a process to handover the land parcels to beneficiaries throughout all the nine provinces,” said Deputy President Mabuza.   

Following the visit undertaken by Deputy President Mabuza to the Northern Cape Province to assess the impact of drought in the area, the IMC took note of measures planned to address drought in an intensified and integrated manner within the context of the District Development Model.  

The IMC further has noted that the country experienced significant summer rainfall which brought some relief in certain parts of the country such as the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, North West, North West and Limpopo provinces.  

However, the meeting noted that as much as the summer rainfall brought some relief to some provinces, the three provinces of Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Western Cape are still reeling from drought and water shortages.

“Government will ensure that all relevant stakeholders develop adequate, responsive and timeous processes in responding to the challenge of drought and water challenges,” Deputy President Mabuza.  

The IMC further took note of the public consultation processes underway with regards to the amendment of section 25 of the Constitution towards the finalisation of the Expropriation Bill.   
 

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Issued by: The Presidency 
Pretoria