Here follow excerpts from the speech delivered by FF Plus MPL, Tammy Wessels, in the Free State Legislature during the budget vote debate of the Free State Department of Agriculture.
During the budget vote debate of the Free State Department of Agriculture, all the ANC members of the Legislature who participated in the debate referred to the white oppressor, the farmers who stole the land from black people and they blamed white monopoly capital for all the ruling party’s shortcomings.
The ANC government is responsible for the billions of rands that were lost as a result of failed agricultural projects and related corruption and not the farmers who are producing food for our country and creating jobs under difficult circumstances.
It may never again happen that implementing agents use agricultural development projects for self enrichment instead of these projects benefiting the community. The majority of the development projects, like the controversial Vrede Dairy Farm project, is nothing more than a way to launder money and steal from the state.
The ruling party is not able to keep its numerous election promises and is, therefore, using farmers as an excuse for its shortcomings. Amongst other things, farmers are blamed for the housing shortage, unemployment and even poverty.
So, farmers are being blamed for the ANC government’s inability to provide proper housing for the people of the Free State, for the delay in the transfer of nearly 16 000 title deeds and for the fact that the land that was purchased by land reform projects is not transferred to new owners.
The government is unable to keep its promises due to the absence of proper management, skills and a sense of responsibility as well as corruption and wrong priorities.
The ANC remains silent about the fact that the state owns most of the land in South Africa. The ANC also ignores the fact that approximately 96% of the beneficiaries of land claims prefer to receive money rather than the land. The ruling party also refuses to take responsibility for the failure of nine out of every ten land reform projects.
The ruling party is making promises of expropriation without compensation to pacify its supporters and to draw their attention away from the fact that the ANC has only succeeded in enriching itself and its cadres over the last 24 years.
The key role of the Department of Agriculture is to offer support to commercial farmers to as to restore the Free State’s status to the bread basket of South Africa.
Agriculture in the Free State may not be jeopardised by irresponsible and thoughtless statements made purely to score cheap political points.
Emerging farmers are also not given the support they need. These emerging farmers are given land, but not the title deed of that land. That means they cannot obtain financing, because they don’t own the land. And that is why many emerging farmers are failing.
Both commercial and emerging farmers are fulfilling a vital function, namely producing food for the people of South Africa. What is needed is responsible leadership that will strengthen, protect and support our farmers.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Tammy Wessels on FF Plus
South Africa Today – South Africa News
