David Mabuza speaks to organised agriculture

No less than Deputy President David Mabuza travelled all the way to Bela-Bela to address the concerns of organised agriculture about the burning land question.

Speaking during an AgriSA land summit at Zwartkloof Game Reserve outside Bela-Bela held from 23 to 24 August, Mabuza declared: “There is no issue that has caused so much strong sentiments on both divides than the question of land. The ANC resolved at its 54th National Conference in Nasrec that expropriation of land without compensation must be effected.”

He said the summit took place at a “critical stage” of discussions on land reform measures which sought to address inequalities of the past, “flowing from land dispossession and economic
exclusion.”

“These challenges include sluggish economic growth leading to slow employment opportunities and, in some sectors, job losses that add further pressure to the challenge of poverty and
inequality in our country,” Mabuza said.

The deputy president said land had always been a “sensitive” matter, and it was at the heart of ordinary people’s daily struggles for economic participation and social empowerment.

“Access to land for productive use in agriculture, industrial development and human settlements, remains a defining feature for the aspirations of those with no access to land. There are many voices crying (out) for access to land to improve the living conditions and open up opportunities for sustainable livelihoods,” he pointed out.

Mabuza said it was generally-agreed that access to land opened up prospects to improve the quality of the lives of many South Africans in urban and far-flung rural areas.

He said access to land was not for the sake of access with no clear purpose. “It is about ensuring that land is made available to people who want to work the land, and put it to productive use
so that the productive capacity of the country is maximized.”

— The BEAT