Proposals for the redistribution of land found in the government's land reform green paper would come into effect as early as March next year.
"All these new land reform policies will come into effect during the first quarter of the year next year", Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti said.
He was speaking to the Transformation of Certain Rural Areas Act and the Rural Areas Act (Trancaa) consultative workshop in Cape Town.
The new policies included a four-tier land tenure system, which accounted for leased land to farmers, land redistribution, foreign ownership of land and the implementation of a democratic communal land system.
Nkwinti said cabinet had approved the proposal to establish the office of the valuer-general, which would control land prices involving government land purchases for public interest.
He emphasised that the willing-buyer-willing-seller principle would continue for individual citizens who would be selling land to each other.
A land rights management board along with its district committees would also be set up next year to protect farm workers against unfair evictions.
The land management commission would be responsible for all registration of private and public land. – Sapa.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Showing posts with label Gugile Nkwinti. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gugile Nkwinti. Show all posts
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Minister: Land grabs 'out of touch with reality'
The idea of claiming land without compensation is "out of touch with reality", Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti said on Friday. "Land grabs are not an option, there is no policy like that. By doing so you will have to change the Constitution," he said. "It is an option that is completely out of touch with reality."
Nkwinti was briefing reporters in Boksburg on the East Rand after a meeting on the progress of the land reform green paper. His deputy Lechesa Tsenoli, said six groups had brought feedback on what had emerged from different aspects of the green paper. "These timelines are a key thing. We need to devise new timeframes to bring forward those projects that were meant to be done at a later stage," Tsenoli said. "We must take stock of where we are at and in mid-March complete and merge with consolidated reports -- then be able to brief Cabinet."
He said the issue of land reform needed to be dealt with "sensitively". "For some it is an issue of life and death. For the state, doing it speedily will prevent that," he said. "The right thing to do is to establish policy and legislation to redistribute land in a fair manner."
He said several groups did not accept the historical statistic that 87% of the land was white owned. "They said that we must commission professors to research the statistics."
Source: Mail & Guardian
Nkwinti was briefing reporters in Boksburg on the East Rand after a meeting on the progress of the land reform green paper. His deputy Lechesa Tsenoli, said six groups had brought feedback on what had emerged from different aspects of the green paper. "These timelines are a key thing. We need to devise new timeframes to bring forward those projects that were meant to be done at a later stage," Tsenoli said. "We must take stock of where we are at and in mid-March complete and merge with consolidated reports -- then be able to brief Cabinet."
He said the issue of land reform needed to be dealt with "sensitively". "For some it is an issue of life and death. For the state, doing it speedily will prevent that," he said. "The right thing to do is to establish policy and legislation to redistribute land in a fair manner."
He said several groups did not accept the historical statistic that 87% of the land was white owned. "They said that we must commission professors to research the statistics."
Source: Mail & Guardian
Sunday, July 25, 2010
DG exodus an outrage, says Nehawu
The National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu), is "deeply outraged" about how many directors-general have been fired, suspended, resigned in questionable circumstances or threatened to resign in the past 18 months. The public sector union was reacting to the dismissal of Communications Director-General Mamodupi Mohlala by Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda on Friday after "some troubling and discomforting reports" of the minister's alleged interference in the issuing of tenders in the department.
Nehawu general secretary Fikile Majola said the "centre does not hold", intimated that President Jacob Zuma must lead and pointed out that the directors-general were in a state of flux, which bode ill for service delivery. "We expect better answers and compelling reasons about this (Mohlala) dismissal than the tired old line of 'broken trust' because we want to know what broke the trust," said Majola.
The past 18 months had seen the departure of directors-general Njabulo Nduli, Pam Yako, Jimmy Manyi, Thozi Gwanya, Portia Molefe, Vuyi Nxasana and Mohlala.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson told senior officials in the department this week that Nduli had gone on leave, a month after she criticised her director-general in Parliament for the department's regular production of substandard briefing documents. While sources said Nduli would not return, the ministry had refused to confirm or deny the termination of her contract. Dr Moshibudi Rampedi, who allegedly applied for a Food and Agriculture Organisation post last month, was appointed acting director-general this week.
Water Affairs Director-General Pam Yako has been on suspension for a year since being placed on special leave by Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica pending the outcome of an investigation of alleged procurement irregularities. The auditor-general has since found that a contract with a service provider for information technology services was extended "on numerous occasions" to 49 months, and grew in value by 587 percent in the process to more than R1-billion. The extensions contravened the department's procurement and delegation of authority regulations.
Labour Director-General Jimmy Manyi was suspended by Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana recently, apparently because of comments he made during an official meeting with Norway's ambassador to South Africa Tor Christian-Hilda. Soon before his suspension, Mdlalana had apparently told Manyi to choose between his job as director-general and the presidency of the Black Management Forum.
Land Reform Director-General Thozi Gwanya's departure from his post at the end of this month was confirmed by Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti this week. The confirmation that Gwanya's contract had been "redetermined" came after initial denials by the department.
Public Enterprises Director-General Portia Molefe resigned in September. It is unclear why she left.
November saw the ousting of acting Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities Director-General Vuyi Nxasana by Minister Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya, apparently after a breakdown in the relationship between her and the minister who was alleged to be loath to make crucial decisions, act on proposals or stick to ministerial handbook guidelines.
Nehawu said it found the situation "troubling, unsustainable and unacceptable", adding that it did not bode well for the stability of governance and service delivery. "The merits and demerits of these suspensions, resignations and dismissals aside, the message that comes out is that the centre is not holding in our government and that is a disturbing state of affairs," said Majola. "The biggest casualties of this chaotic situation is the citizens of this country who expect, and have been promised, service delivery... this presents a challenge when it comes to the implementation of the five identified priorities," said Majola. He emphasised that the country could ill afford the leadership vacuum created by the absence and the uncertainty surrounding these top officials because it demoralised the entire workforce in the departments and created uncertainty and instability. "Nehawu calls on the government to act swiftly in addressing this unacceptable situation of government departments that operate without stable leadership and also investigate the reasons that led to this spate of resignations and dismissals. "Service delivery should be a priority for all of us and... the government needs to start providing clear decisive leadership before it's too late," said Majola.
Source: IoL
Nehawu general secretary Fikile Majola said the "centre does not hold", intimated that President Jacob Zuma must lead and pointed out that the directors-general were in a state of flux, which bode ill for service delivery. "We expect better answers and compelling reasons about this (Mohlala) dismissal than the tired old line of 'broken trust' because we want to know what broke the trust," said Majola.
The past 18 months had seen the departure of directors-general Njabulo Nduli, Pam Yako, Jimmy Manyi, Thozi Gwanya, Portia Molefe, Vuyi Nxasana and Mohlala.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson told senior officials in the department this week that Nduli had gone on leave, a month after she criticised her director-general in Parliament for the department's regular production of substandard briefing documents. While sources said Nduli would not return, the ministry had refused to confirm or deny the termination of her contract. Dr Moshibudi Rampedi, who allegedly applied for a Food and Agriculture Organisation post last month, was appointed acting director-general this week.
Water Affairs Director-General Pam Yako has been on suspension for a year since being placed on special leave by Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica pending the outcome of an investigation of alleged procurement irregularities. The auditor-general has since found that a contract with a service provider for information technology services was extended "on numerous occasions" to 49 months, and grew in value by 587 percent in the process to more than R1-billion. The extensions contravened the department's procurement and delegation of authority regulations.
Labour Director-General Jimmy Manyi was suspended by Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana recently, apparently because of comments he made during an official meeting with Norway's ambassador to South Africa Tor Christian-Hilda. Soon before his suspension, Mdlalana had apparently told Manyi to choose between his job as director-general and the presidency of the Black Management Forum.
Land Reform Director-General Thozi Gwanya's departure from his post at the end of this month was confirmed by Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti this week. The confirmation that Gwanya's contract had been "redetermined" came after initial denials by the department.
Public Enterprises Director-General Portia Molefe resigned in September. It is unclear why she left.
November saw the ousting of acting Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities Director-General Vuyi Nxasana by Minister Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya, apparently after a breakdown in the relationship between her and the minister who was alleged to be loath to make crucial decisions, act on proposals or stick to ministerial handbook guidelines.
Nehawu said it found the situation "troubling, unsustainable and unacceptable", adding that it did not bode well for the stability of governance and service delivery. "The merits and demerits of these suspensions, resignations and dismissals aside, the message that comes out is that the centre is not holding in our government and that is a disturbing state of affairs," said Majola. "The biggest casualties of this chaotic situation is the citizens of this country who expect, and have been promised, service delivery... this presents a challenge when it comes to the implementation of the five identified priorities," said Majola. He emphasised that the country could ill afford the leadership vacuum created by the absence and the uncertainty surrounding these top officials because it demoralised the entire workforce in the departments and created uncertainty and instability. "Nehawu calls on the government to act swiftly in addressing this unacceptable situation of government departments that operate without stable leadership and also investigate the reasons that led to this spate of resignations and dismissals. "Service delivery should be a priority for all of us and... the government needs to start providing clear decisive leadership before it's too late," said Majola.
Source: IoL
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Land minister's Zim references criticised
A warning by Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti that commercial farmers must cooperate to avoid a situation in South Africa "worse than Zimbabwe" drew sharp reaction from agricultural union TAU-SA and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) on Tuesday. Nkwinti's remarks, reportedly made during an interview with eNews on Monday, were "irresponsible", the union's president, Ben Marais, said in a statement. "We see Minister Nkwinti's remarks as an ill-camouflaged threat to farmers that their land can be occupied the Zimbabwe way if they are not prepared to give their land away. TAU-SA regards this as a subtle given command to militants to occupy land to intimidate farmers," he said.
Marais questioned why the government wanted more land. "They had to admit several times that most of the land-reform projects have failed totally... grabbing land in the Zimbabwe way will also lead to farms going unproductive and food security [being] threatened." Marais said that given the "loaded situation" in the country, statements such as Nkwinti's should not be permissible. He called on Nkwinti to apologise, or for his remark to be repudiated by President Jacob Zuma.
In a separate statement on Tuesday, the FF+ also labelled Nkwinti's reference to Zimbabwe irresponsible. "The farmers have been cooperating for a long time already, but it is the government and its incompetent officials who do not cooperate. "The fact that Nkwinti shares the views of black South Africans -- that land has to be nationalised -- is in contrast with what he said last week in Parliament. Nkwinti therefore speaks with a forked tongue," FF+ land-reform spokesperson Pieter Groenewald said.
The minister's remark created the impression that he "subconsciously encourages" Zimbabwean-type land reforms. This, he cautioned, was "not in the interest of anybody in South Africa".
Later on Tuesday, the Democratic Alliance called on the government to clarify what it called "conflicting statements" on the land issue. In a statement, DA land-reform spokesperson Mpowele Swathe said that Nkwinti, in the interview on Monday, had "actively endorsed plans to nationalise farmland". But last week, his deputy, Joe Phaahla, had said all the department wanted to do was come up with a model for land reform, and it had no intention to nationalise land. "Is a plan to nationalise farmland on the cards or not? This isn't a game. It goes to the heart of our economy and its best financial management. "Being inconsistent or unclear on such a fundamental issue is like the Treasury vaguely suggesting pegging the currency against the Zimbabwean dollar," he said.
Placing control of this entire economic sector in the hands of the state could have the effect of destroying it, Swathe warned.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Marais questioned why the government wanted more land. "They had to admit several times that most of the land-reform projects have failed totally... grabbing land in the Zimbabwe way will also lead to farms going unproductive and food security [being] threatened." Marais said that given the "loaded situation" in the country, statements such as Nkwinti's should not be permissible. He called on Nkwinti to apologise, or for his remark to be repudiated by President Jacob Zuma.
In a separate statement on Tuesday, the FF+ also labelled Nkwinti's reference to Zimbabwe irresponsible. "The farmers have been cooperating for a long time already, but it is the government and its incompetent officials who do not cooperate. "The fact that Nkwinti shares the views of black South Africans -- that land has to be nationalised -- is in contrast with what he said last week in Parliament. Nkwinti therefore speaks with a forked tongue," FF+ land-reform spokesperson Pieter Groenewald said.
The minister's remark created the impression that he "subconsciously encourages" Zimbabwean-type land reforms. This, he cautioned, was "not in the interest of anybody in South Africa".
Later on Tuesday, the Democratic Alliance called on the government to clarify what it called "conflicting statements" on the land issue. In a statement, DA land-reform spokesperson Mpowele Swathe said that Nkwinti, in the interview on Monday, had "actively endorsed plans to nationalise farmland". But last week, his deputy, Joe Phaahla, had said all the department wanted to do was come up with a model for land reform, and it had no intention to nationalise land. "Is a plan to nationalise farmland on the cards or not? This isn't a game. It goes to the heart of our economy and its best financial management. "Being inconsistent or unclear on such a fundamental issue is like the Treasury vaguely suggesting pegging the currency against the Zimbabwean dollar," he said.
Placing control of this entire economic sector in the hands of the state could have the effect of destroying it, Swathe warned.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Land reform's middle ground
When President Jacob Zuma announced his new Cabinet on May 10, he ushered in a new era for the state's apparatus charged with responding to rural poverty: political and bureaucratic responsibilities for land reform, fisheries, forestry and agricultural development have been reshuffled, and are now clustered into an array of new and renamed ministries and departments. Zuma presented this reshuffling as a sign that his administration will embark on a re-energised initiative for rural development, in line with the ANC's manifesto for the 2009 national elections which featured "Rural development, food security and land reform" as one of its top five priorities.
This signals a new commitment from a party which has historically relied on an urban support base of the working class and unemployed and has de-emphasised, if not quite ignored, the spatial legacy of apartheid and the concentration of poverty in the rural areas. For the future of the rural areas, the most significant changes in the new Cabinet are the separation of land and agriculture, and the introduction of rural development as a ministerial mandate. The new-look cabinet places these responsibilities in separate ministries: a Ministry of Rural Development and Land Reform (MRDLR) on the one hand, and a Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) on the other. Both are to be headed by former MECs for Agriculture: Gugile Nkwinti from the Eastern Cape, and the Northern Cape's Tina Joemat-Petterson, respectively. But key decisions about government's plans for the rural areas are likely to be taken elsewhere. At the heart of the new administration's thinking on the future of the economy is a heavyweight triumvirate made up of the National Treasury headed by Pravin Gordhan, a Ministry of Economic Development under former unionist Ebrahim Patel, and a National Planning Commission in the Presidency led by Trevor Manuel.
The core challenge is to enable large numbers of the rural poor to participate in economic activities -- to produce, process and market -- on beneficial terms in order to enable employment (including self-employment) for the rural poor, not only welfare. This would reduce rural poverty and create new livelihoods and jobs, but also set South Africa on a different and more appropriate growth path.The central position that rural development now occupies in the thinking of government draws attention to the multidimensional nature of rural people's livelihoods -- a recognition that land reform cannot be entirely about agriculture, that people want and need land for a variety of purposes, and that rural people participate in a variety of economic activities for their survival.
The new political priority placed on rural development is a great opportunity and new approaches are urgently needed. Rural development must not be limited to ad hoc and localised "projects". A new policy framework must set out an ambitious agenda for structural change in the key rural economic sectors. It must change the ways in which the poor participate in, own, control, use, and produce in the rural economy and enable new pathways of production and accumulation.
Source: Mail & Guardian
This signals a new commitment from a party which has historically relied on an urban support base of the working class and unemployed and has de-emphasised, if not quite ignored, the spatial legacy of apartheid and the concentration of poverty in the rural areas. For the future of the rural areas, the most significant changes in the new Cabinet are the separation of land and agriculture, and the introduction of rural development as a ministerial mandate. The new-look cabinet places these responsibilities in separate ministries: a Ministry of Rural Development and Land Reform (MRDLR) on the one hand, and a Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) on the other. Both are to be headed by former MECs for Agriculture: Gugile Nkwinti from the Eastern Cape, and the Northern Cape's Tina Joemat-Petterson, respectively. But key decisions about government's plans for the rural areas are likely to be taken elsewhere. At the heart of the new administration's thinking on the future of the economy is a heavyweight triumvirate made up of the National Treasury headed by Pravin Gordhan, a Ministry of Economic Development under former unionist Ebrahim Patel, and a National Planning Commission in the Presidency led by Trevor Manuel.
The core challenge is to enable large numbers of the rural poor to participate in economic activities -- to produce, process and market -- on beneficial terms in order to enable employment (including self-employment) for the rural poor, not only welfare. This would reduce rural poverty and create new livelihoods and jobs, but also set South Africa on a different and more appropriate growth path.The central position that rural development now occupies in the thinking of government draws attention to the multidimensional nature of rural people's livelihoods -- a recognition that land reform cannot be entirely about agriculture, that people want and need land for a variety of purposes, and that rural people participate in a variety of economic activities for their survival.
The new political priority placed on rural development is a great opportunity and new approaches are urgently needed. Rural development must not be limited to ad hoc and localised "projects". A new policy framework must set out an ambitious agenda for structural change in the key rural economic sectors. It must change the ways in which the poor participate in, own, control, use, and produce in the rural economy and enable new pathways of production and accumulation.
Source: Mail & Guardian
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