Category: Politics

Programme Director,

Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Ms Patricia de Lille,

Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Ms Thoko Didiza,

Ministers and Deputy Ministers,

Premier of Limpopo Province, Mr Stanley Mathabatha,

Mayor of the Sekhukhune District Municipality, Mr Stanley Ramaila,

Mayor of the Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality, Ms Julia Mathebe,

Kgoshi ya Bakgaga Ba Kopa,

Kgoshi Boleu Rammupudu,

Traditional Leaders,

Chairperson of Tafelkop Farmers Association, Mr Jerry Sefoloshe,

Members of the community,

Bo-Mme le Bo-Ntate

MaAfrika Borwa a gešo.

This is indeed a great day for the community of Tafelkop, for the people of Limpopo, and for the whole of South Africa.

Today we are witnessing a community’s dream being fulfilled.

It is the vision that this community has spent the past 25 years fighting to see realised.

The handover of these title deeds to the members of the Tafelkop Farmers Association marks a milestone in a long journey.

This land is currently being used to farm tobacco, cotton and fresh produce, and has great potential for even more farming activities.

A total of 32 households are supported by this land, and farming activities provide employment to 128 permanent workers and up to 320 seasonal workers.

To the farmers of Tafelkop,

I want to thank you for your resilience and your determination, which is an inspiration to us all.

Le re gopoditše gore ka nnete ga go seo se tlisago phenyo go swana le kgotlelelo, gobane ge gona le bootee goba kopano, go na le phenyo. Tau tša hloka seboka, di šitwa ke nare e hlotša.

(You have reminded us indeed that nothing is so full of victory as patience, and that where there is unity, there is always victory.)

This land is this community’s most valuable asset, and now it is officially yours.

Lefatshe le, ke lefa la badudi ba tulo ye, go tloga lehono ke la lona ka semmutsho!

You will now be able to use it as security to secure loans to expand, to secure long-term supply contracts and to form partnerships with bigger commercial farmers.

The prospects for the agricultural sector provide an opportunity for further public-private partnerships to promote transformation and ensure sustainable growth.

We therefore welcome the market opportunities offered by some of our prominent retail groups to the Tafelkop Farmers Association.

We urge project leaders to continue to seek more market opportunities for the producers to ensure their viability.

Receiving these title deeds has great significance for this community.

We have not forgotten the dispossession, land theft and forced removals that the people of this community and many communities across the country had to endure.

We have not forgotten the harsh legacy of farming here in Limpopo, where farm-dwellers were forced to be labour tenants on their forefathers’ land, and not allowed to own land to feed their families or graze their animals.

We have not forgotten the terrible exploitation and abuse of black farmworkers in what was the Northern Transvaal.

We have not forgotten the apartheid government’s Farm Labour Scheme, which forced those guilty of petty offences to work on white-owned farms to escape a jail sentence.

We also recall how the apartheid government supported white farmers with equipment, technical support and access to credit to build their businesses, but black subsistence farmers struggled to survive.

That is why today is a celebration.

These title deeds bring justice to a dispossessed community.

It gives us hope, because it has shown that with the right support and the right opportunities, the agricultural industry can be transformed for the benefit of our country.

We celebrate our progress, because day by day our land reform programme is gaining momentum.

To date, government has redistributed over five million hectares of land, totalling around 5,500 farms, to more than 300,000 beneficiaries.

So far, the land restitution process has benefited over two million land claimants and resulted in the transfer of around 2.7 million hectares.

Land reform isn’t just in the interests of redress, justice and social cohesion.

It is also about economic development.

Agriculture and the agriculture value chain can and must transform rural economies.

Through the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan we are developing the agricultural sector, and making it more inclusive so that it can play an even greater role in driving inclusive growth.

Here in Ga-Sekhukhune, agricultural development forms part of the District Rural Development Plan.

The transfer of this state land is part of our nationwide process to speed up land reform.

Our Constitution obliges the state to take reasonable legislative and other measures, within our available resources, to facilitate equitable access to land.

The release of state-owned land is one of the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture.

Last year, we announced that 529,000 hectares of state-owned land would be released for agricultural activities.

Fellow South Africans,

The land reform process has been beset by many challenges.

One of these, the management of farmland leases, was highlighted by Minister Thoko Didiza in her recent Budget Vote in Parliament.

In recent months, we have had to respond to complaints from several black emerging farmers. These have revealed the weaknesses in the implementation of our policies, and call for an overhaul of our property management processes.

We are listening carefully to what farmers are saying.

We are forging ahead with the process of amending Section 25 of the Constitution to enable land expropriation without compensation, all the while ensuring that we improve agricultural output and expand the property rights of all South Africans.

There is currently a public participation process around the Expropriation Bill, which outlines the circumstances under which land may be expropriated both with and without compensation.

Over the next financial year we will establish a land and agrarian reform agency to fast-track land reform.

We are looming at how effective our past policies have been. We are going to address this issue of land reform urgently.

We have to urgently address the significant service delivery challenges in this community and in communities around the country.

Water supply problems have endured in various parts of Ga-Sekhukhune, affecting health and livelihoods, but also farming.

Corruption and maladministration in the delivery of services have to be rooted out.

Fellow South Africans,

The Tafelkop Farmers Association has joined many great leaders from Ga-Sekhukhune such as Dikgosi Thulare, Sekwati and Sekhukhune who fought many heroic wars against land dispossession.

During the liberation struggle, activists from Ga-Sekhukhune like Elias Motsoaledi, Nelson Diale, Mogaramedi Sekhukhune, Madimetja Phokanoka, Oriah Maleka and Flag Boshielo fought against land dispossession, forced removals and the deprivation caused by apartheid laws.

We are working to put right what went wrong during the apartheid years and during our own tenure.

We do this in tribute to those who lived among us; who resided here.

Land reform is key to growing the agricultural sector in Ga-Sekhukhune and elsewhere.

It is an important step towards bolstering our nation’s food security.

It is about building an inclusive economy.

It is about providing a better future for the people of this area and of our country.

We will devise programmes that will provide support for longer than one or two years.

I call on each and all to be part of ensuring that this handover of title deeds is one step towards greater things for this community.

For me, today has been the best day in the office; to kick the soil and dust and see your produce.

I have no doubt that with the commitment and energy of all involved, this project will continue to thrive.

I thank you.

Source: The Presidency Republic of South Africa

In an interview published in the 2021 Special Edition of Greece Investor Guide, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias underscored the importance of shared values in meeting the challenges of the future.

In this context, the Minister highlighted, among other things, Greece’s determination to enhance cooperation with its partners and allies, with a view to promoting peace, stability and growth to the broader region. In parallel, he stressed the need to increase multilateralism to tackle global challenges.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic

Deputy President David Mabuza today Friday, 21 May 2021 undertook a follow-up oversight visit to the Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality, Phuthaditjhaba in the Free State Province. The Deputy President was accompanied by the Premier of the Free State, Ms Sisi Ntombela, Deputy Minister of COGTA, Mr Obed Bapela and MEC of COGTA, Mr Thembeni Nxangisa. This visit by the Deputy President was the second in a period of two months demonstrating the urgency on which service delivery matters of Maluti-a-Phofung municipality must be addressed as he committed to the National Council of Provinces and National Assembly respectively. The oversight visit was characterised in essence by the engagement with the role players across the three spheres of government and the representatives of Maluti-a-Phofung community structures.

The Deputy President noted progress registered towards resolving in particular challenges pertaining to reliable electricity supply and water provision. One of the interventions relates to a Service Level Agreement (SLA) between Eskom and the Maluti-a-Phofung municipality which comprise of infrastructure refurbishment and the installation of smart electricity metering to enhance revenue collection. These interventions are premised on local beneficiation which places the SMME sector of Maluti-a-Phofung at the centre of implementation to revitalise the rural and township economy.

“We are pleased with the commitment of all parties to conclude and enter into a Service Level Agreement, which will ensure that the issue of the debt owed to Eskom by the municipality has finally come to it’s logical conclusion”, said Deputy President David Mabuza.

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs committed to support the municipality in line with section 154 of the Constitution to ensure financial sustainability.

Deputy President Mabuza had engagements with local structures and was apprised of ongoing challenges with water provision in the municipality, despite the number of water infrastructure projects being implemented by the Department of Water and Sanitation. To this end, the Deputy President commited to return to Maluti-a-Phofung to specifically deal with reliable provision of water to the community.

Source: The Presidency Republic of South Africa

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias participated in the webinar co-organized by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Greece, the Republic of North Macedonia and Austria, on the implementation, in multicultural societies, of the three non-legally binding working definitions of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which is chaired by Greece this year.

The webinar was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, and the Austrian Federal Minister for the EU and the Constitution, Karoline Edtstadler.

The event provided an opportunity for educators, teachers and policy makers from Southeast European countries to exchange views and experiences on the subject (“Practical Implementation of the three non-legally binding IHRA working definitions in multicultural societies: lessons learned, best practices, steps forward”), in the context of the effort to combat racism and Antisemitism through training and educational processes.

In his speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias highlighted the fact that Greece was the first EU country to put into legislation the IHRA definitions of Antisemitism and Holocaust denial and distortion of historical truth, and has adopted legislation that goes beyond the IHRA definitions of anti-Roma concepts and activities.

In this context, the Minister emphasized the willingness and readiness of Greece to share relevant expertise with neighbours and friends and to encourage the strengthening of cooperation with them to prevent and fight Antisemitism.

He also pointed out that this event is in the framework of the accession process of the Republic of North Macedonia to the IHRA as a full member, a prospect that our country supports. In addition, Mr. Dendias expressed his concern at the rise of Antisemitism that has been observed during the pandemic.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, to the Economic and Social Council operational activities segment for Session 8: “Unleashing the United Nations development system’s regional assets: The path forward”, today:

As the Secretary-General said in his opening segment, since the adoption of ECOSOC resolution 2020/23 in July last year, the United Nations development system has made significant progress at the regional level. Regional collaborative platforms have been established in all regions to coordinate regional assets, convened in tandem with the regional sustainable development fora.

Issue-based coalitions, the main vehicles of the substantive work of the regional collaborative platforms, have been agreed and will serve to rally United Nations system-wide expertise in response to changing regional and country priorities.

All regions have made good progress on the knowledge management hubs, bringing a wealth of products to Member States, resident coordinators and United Nations country teams, to foster evidence-based solutions to development challenges. Work is also ongoing to consolidate capacities with regard to data and statistics as we move towards a one-stop-shop for accessing the regional Sustainable Development Goals data ecosystem.

In line with the Secretary-General’s commitment to enhance transparency and results, transitional reports were prepared in each region on the results achieved by the United Nations development system in 2020. Regional operations management teams have been established in all regions to increase efficiencies in business operations.

These changes are yielding concrete benefits. Over the course of March, I chaired the first annual meetings of the regional collaborative platforms. Under the leadership of the regional collaborative platform Vice-Chairs, the executive secretaries of the regional commissions and the regional directors of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), I saw the potential of bringing together our collective expertise in support of country needs and priorities.

In Africa, regional United Nations development system entities worked collaboratively through the emergency regional action plan on COVID-19 to deliver essential support in areas such as procurement, to improve coordination amid limited global stock and weak supply chains. In the Arab States, work is under way to make the Manara platform a one-stop shop for all knowledge and data from United Nations sources, Member States and other development actors. In Asia-Pacific, through the issue-based coalition on human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment, the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) developed strategic and operational guidance for Governments and other partners in South-East Asia to address service gaps and ensure the continuity of sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services during the pandemic.

In Europe, the data and statistics group created under the umbrella of the regional collaborative platforms connects the United Nations country team statistics focal point in the region, and in Asia Pacific, with the global statistics community. In Latin America and the Caribbean, at the request of the Governments involved, the regional commission worked with 19 entities and the relevant resident coordinators to produce a comprehensive development plan that identifies sustainable development investment opportunities across El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and south-south-east Mexico.

I am greatly encouraged by what we have accomplished in little time, and I wish to thank our United Nations leadership at the regional level for their efforts. With the foundations now in place, we must aim higher for the coming year. The regional level will be essential to ensure all countries within their regions have equitable access to vaccines. A clear vision for recovering better together will also be needed, one that addresses specific structural impediments to inclusive and sustainable development.

This will be the true test of whether we are willing to move beyond our old ways of doing business and come together effectively at the regional level. In Africa, for example, this means providing debt relief and liquidity support for financial recovery guided by Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda.

In Europe and Central Asia, increasing fiscal space and supporting structural reforms to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and deliver on the 2030 Agenda will be essential. In Latin America and the Caribbean, urgent support is required to address the barriers faced by middle-income countries and small island developing States to access financing, increase fiscal space for climate action, and accelerate joint work on social protection systems.

In Asia and the Pacific, an early assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on Sustainable Development Goals progress by eight United Nations entities is helping the regional collaborative platforms identify priorities, including on climate action, social protection and data. In the Arab States, addressing the triple crises of climate change, biodiversity degradation and pollution, and their impact on water availability, agriculture and migration, is a priority.

All of this will require accelerated implementation of the five key areas of the regional review. Issue-based coalitions will need to work in lock step with resident coordinators and United Nations country teams to support country needs and priorities. We will need more effective pooling of expertise at the service of resident coordinators and United Nations country teams, and the consolidation of data and statistics and efficient business operations. In doing so, we must pay greater attention to cross-border challenges and, where applicable, strengthening collaboration across peace, development and humanitarian operations.

We must ensure that the roll-out of the multi-country offices and regional reviews continue to intersect and proceed in tandem, with strong joint leadership through the regional collaborative platforms. We look forward also to the first reports of the regional consultative platforms on collective achievements and joint system-wide impacts in 2022.

We are on the right path at the regional level, but we still have a great deal to do. I look forward to your insights on how we can bring the full potential, know-how, assets and policy expertise of the regional United Nations development system behind United Nations country teams, in support of a better recovery and accelerated Sustainable Development Goals progress. Thank you.

Source: United Nations