WEST RAND RESIDENTS CALL FOR INTRODUCTION OF AGRICULTURAL STUDIES IN SCHOOL SYLLABUS

Residents of the West Rand District in the Gauteng Province, yesterday, called for the Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Bill to make provision for the introduction of agricultural studies at schools.

The residents were making inputs during public hearings conducted by the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development on the Bill in Magaliesburg. They highlighted the importance the introduction of agricultural studies at schools can play in stimulating their children’s interest in agriculture – which is a dominant mode of economy in their district.

Participants also raised a number of issues affecting farmers in the district including lack of access to agricultural land for women. Women participants pointed out that the Bill raises their hope for emancipation from the shackles of poverty on paper, but they feel disillusioned as they continue to be discriminated against on a number of economic fronts including access to land for farming. They said there is a lot of vacant farms in the area, but they are like a pie in the sky to them as women.

Women participants told the committee about good quality farming products they produce that are at the level of the production of commercial farmers. They told the committee that they do not make sweeping statements at the hearings, there is evidence of their production which they presented to back up their demands for access to land and to be provided with farming resources such as modern agricultural equipment.

They told the committee that they applied for farming land since 2018 and there has been no feedback from the municipality. One of them said she was unable to support the Bill given their discrimination and marginalisation as women.

Non-issuing of title deeds, illegal mining and failure by miners to rehabilitate the land to its former arability after mining, and red tapes on water rights and water licence payments were also among the problems which participants highlighted during the public hearings. Participants appealed to the committee that the new legislation should address all the problems they highlighted.

The committee Chairperson, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, thanked the residents for attending the hearings and for their fruitful submissions on the Bill. He told them that the committee will continue to play its oversight role over the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development to ensure that all the issues they raised and which were outside of the Bill will be attended to.

Source: Parliament of South Africa