The Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development conducted public hearings on the Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land (PDAL) Bill in Sarah Baartman District in the Eastern Cape today, where residents said the Bill is silent on the preservation and development of the communal land in the country.
Expressing their support for the Bill at Masizakhe Community Hall in Addo, the residents also called for agricultural studies to be introduced in schools and for access to land.
Outlining the objectives of the public hearings on the Bill, the Chairperson of the committee, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, told the residents that the committee is currently soliciting their views on the Bill, to ensure that they exercise their rights in the law-making process, as part of the constitutional mandate of Parliament.
He urged them to make their voices heard. He added: “As the committee, we will appreciate if you can provide us with reasons why you support or reject the Bill and tell us whether in its current form it will be able to fulfill its intended purpose.”
“Where you have concerns with certain clauses or aspects of the Bill, it will be helpful if you can highlight those specific areas while also making proposals on how we can address your concerns as the committee when processing the Bill,” he emphasised.
The PDAL Bill makes provision for new mechanisms that will ensure that the agricultural land is used optimally and in a balanced approach. The Bill introduces mechanisms such as protected agricultural area, mechanism for access to agricultural information where farmers will have information available to know the quality of their land in an area.
A representative of Agri-SA Eastern Cape indicated that they support the Bill, although they do not think it provides enough clarity on communal land in the country. They argued that the Bill needs to be clearer on how the communal land will be preserved and developed. They pointed out that the large part of the communal land is in areas that receive high rainfall in the country, but the Bill is silent on how the land will be included.
The non-availability of agricultural land was also among the main challenges that were raised by most residents at the hearings. The residents further expressed their hope in the Bill to help address this challenge. They told the committee that there is no available land for farming and animal grazing in the district. They also called for the Bill to make provision for the protection of land for indigenous herbs.
The residents further stated that there are farmers who operate very efficiently and successfully in the area, but they are leasing the land. The participants suggested that the Bill should make a provision for an assessment to be conducted to determine whether successful farmers can not be provided with full access to the land based on performance.
The participants also complained that they do not get veterinary services in the district, as a result, they lose their livestock more frequently due to animal diseases. They also submitted that there is a great need for agricultural colleges in the area and for agriculture to be introduced in schools. The committee was told that this is long overdue.
Nkosi Mandela, welcomed all the submissions received and told the participants that the committee has an oversight role over the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. He said: “This is why we felt it necessary to invite its senior officials to attend public hearings of this nature so that they respond to issues and questions that you raised.”
The committee will on Friday, 15 September 2023, conduct public hearings on the Bill at OR Tambo Hall in Mthatha from 10:00 to 14:00
Source: Parliament of South Africa