Parliament welcomes progress in releasing govt land for farming
Parliament has welcomed the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development's progress on the release of state land for agricultural purposes.
On Tuesday, Minister Thoko Didiza told the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development that only farms which were under the South African Development Trust would be released.
In the Western Cape and Gauteng, as there were no Bantustans or homelands, there were no farms under the South African Development Trust.
In a statement, the committee’s chairperson Zwelivelile Mandela welcomed the developments.
"The department received a total of 43 997 applications for the 700 000 hectares of farmland, which comprises 627 farms.
"The committee has requested a database of these farms, and a list of the eligible beneficiaries. The committee further called for a full database of all state land ownership in both the agriculture and land departments.
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"The committee heard that the land rights enquiry has been completed with the exception of Mpumalanga and North West provinces, where 33 farms were completed with the exception of one farm which is awaiting a meeting confirmation with the traditional authority.
"In the North West province, 246 farms were completed with 150 farm enquiries outstanding in one district."
