The newly re-elected president of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (Afasa), AJ Mthembu, has decried government’s “unwillingness” to give land to black farmers despite its power to do so.
Addressing delegates at Afasa’s annual conference currently underway in Durban, Mthembu said, “It is a pity that after 28 years of democracy we still come in halls to host a conference with nice speeches and clapping hands, and yet nothing happens. The issue of what needs to be done – everybody knows that.”
Nearly 600 people, including high-ranking government officials, are set to attend the Afasa conference, which ends tomorrow. It is held under the theme “Collaborating and rebuilding to strengthen the collective African farmer’s voice”.
Mthembu said the critical question remains how government would accelerate plans to give black farmers access to land.
“If you listen to MEC [Siboniso] Duma [who heads up economic development, environmental affairs and tourism in KwaZulu-Natal], he said our white counterparts were afforded the opportunity by their government.
“We have got a problem of our government that is afraid of instability of the economy while we continue to languish in poverty.”
Organised agriculture alone cannot reach its goals without a purposeful government by its side, he added.
Mthembu also alleged that state-owned entities like the Land Bank tend to charge black farmers more than their white counterparts, in effecting hindering their growth and making them lose out on opportunities.
“The issue of land remains one of the key barriers of growth for farmers. No matter what we can say, if you do not have enough land to produce, it is a problem.
“If you are not able to access financial assistance, you are not going to be able to reach your demands. In business, there is a need for consistency which in our case is not to be, so until government makes those tough decisions, we will remain the same,” he said.
What has Afasa really achieved?
Mthembu also called on Afasa members to be vocal about matters affecting them and to truly be the farmer’s voice
“Ten years into existence as Afasa, we need to ask ourselves what impact we have had. If Afasa is dead tomorrow, who is going to miss it? [Who is going to] miss it for what? What value did they bring? What voice are they known for?
“When we are supposed to be doing advocacy and policy changing, we focus on less important issues. To bring it to you, if Afasa is dead today, it will not make any difference to anyone because it is known for being in meetings and clapping hands without implementing its resolutions.”
Meanwhile, Duma added that Afasa needed to play a role in ensuring that hunger and food insecurity in rural provinces like the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal were eradicated.
“As government working together with Afasa, we should ensure that we work hard to see more involvement of households in the agricultural economy.
“The involvement of households in agricultural activities for subsistence farming can play an important role in reducing the vulnerability to hunger of rural and urban food insecurity.”
ANC elective conference
Furthermore, police Minister Bheki Cele told Afasa delegates that the police will crack down on stock theft where animals are mainly being sold in neighbouring countries.
While government faced its own challenge with corruption, farmer organisations also needed to play its role in calling out those who were corrupt amongst themselves. “We will be working together [with farmers] to get to the bottom of many cases that involved stock theft and being shipped to neighbouring countries.”
Deputy minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development Mcebisi Skhwatsha said the ANC as the ruling party needed to reflect on the progress it has made since gaining power in 1994.
“Going to the big meeting in December [ANC elective conference], we need to ask ourselves if policies on crime is effective and sufficient to the current crime that we have.
“Does the policies we have on land work for us? What have we learned? It cannot be under our watch that we develop policies, but nothing changes.”
Skhwatsha urged Afasa to ensure that the recently signed master plan on agriculture and agro-processing benefited all its members.
ALSO READ: Afasa vows to usher in ‘new dawn’ at conference
Sign up for Mzansi Today: Your daily take on the news and happenings from the agriculture value chain.
