GOVERNMENT will, in the next two weeks, advertise thousands of hectares of available State land for lease, as the country accelerates its land reform programme.
Detailing how the process will unfold, Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister, Thoko Didiza, said, on Thursday, during this period government will issue advertisement notices of 896 farms measuring 700 0000 hectares of underutilised or vacant State land in various provinces.
In KwaZulu-Natal 3 684 Ha has been identified.
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Addressing media, Didiza said notices will be placed in local, district and provincial newspapers as well as on websites and local radio stations.
Application forms will be made available at the district offices and provincial offices of the Departments of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, as well as Municipal District offices.
The adjudication and selection process will then begin. All beneficiaries, who have been allocated State land and signed lease agreements, will be subjected to a compulsory training programme.
The training programme will include entry level training on the commodity of their choice, basic record keeping, and basic financial management, as well as enterprise development.
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