South Africa’s agriculture sector faced another tumultuous year, grappling with outbreaks, budget constraints, veld fires, and geopolitical concerns. Agriculture, land reform and rural development minister Thoko Didiza found herself navigating these challenges while striving to meet the needs of farmers and industry leaders with a tight government purse.
Assessing Didiza’s 2023 performance, Dr Siyabonga Madlala, CEO of the South African Farmers Development Association (Safda), gave the minister a perfect score. However, TLU SA general manager Bennie van Zyl rated her performance at 2 out of 10, showcasing starkly opposing views. This, combined with other ratings, yields an average of 60%.
Madlala praised Didiza’s dedication despite a challenging year for the government, stating, “The agricultural sector has been fortunate to have minister Didiza. Her interventions during the Russia-Ukraine war’s impact on fertilisers alleviated farmers in dire need. Her initiatives in establishing farmer production units facilitated mechanisation, showcasing her utmost commitment.”
Challenges in land reform and sector unity
However, Elton Greeve, managing director of SA Fruit Marketing, rated Didiza a 5 out of 10, saying, “Not much has been done to accelerate land reform, resulting in a serious lull in performance. The same can be said for agriculture in general, with serious challenges arising during the minister’s term, accompanied by a reactive rather than a pro-active approach in dealing with the numerous challenges in this sector.”
Greeve added that despite the launch of the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan, minimal progress has been evident.
He said, “Rather than unite the sector, serious divisions, misalignment, and even a trust deficit has arisen.”
Furthermore, the former chief director: of strategic land reform interventions in the department of rural development and land reform highlighted “limited efforts” to generate development opportunities within the sector.
This, he believes, led to a substantial lack of transformation in the agricultural value chain.
Didiza scores high marks for innovation
In stark contrast, Sulaimaan Patel, managing director of Golden Horizon Advisory, gave Didiza 7.5 out of 10. He acknowledged her proactive intervention with the launch of the Agro-energy Fund, describing it as “a stroke of genius” though greater interventions are needed in the wake of escalating power cuts.
Patel did, however, criticise Didiza’s reactive response to the avian crisis. He mentioned, “We had reactive rather than a proactive response to the avian crisis which resulted in huge loss and massive price increases.”
Minister earns praise but calls for team effort persist
Motsepe Matlala, president of the National African Farmers Union (Nafu), appreciated Didiza’s dedication, rating her 7 out of 10.
“Based on the evidence at hand, it is safe that the minister has given her all in 2023. She came up with tangible plans that all of us in the sector had participated in. She has a unity and cohesion approach which is what is needed in the agriculture sector.”
Matlala cautioned that Didiza alone cannot be held responsible for agriculture’s future. “We believe that some of the minister’s failed goals were because of officials who were not willing to work. She cannot do everything on her own. The team that she is working with needs to pull their socks for her to be able to achieve what is expected of her,” he said.
Didiza’s reform efforts applauded
Thandeka Mbassa, CEO of Afasa, praised Didiza’s interventions to “revolutionise” agriculture, detailing her initiatives addressing energy challenges and providing financial relief. She rated the minister 6 out of 10.
“The minister also responded to the energy challenges through the establishment of a special committee that would develop intervention plans to mitigate the impact of load shedding on farmers,” she explained.
“Farmers have also been affected by climate change impact and the minister developed intervention programmes that were also supposed to give financial relief to affected farmers. She also intervened to contain various diseases that affected farmers in the country.”
Emphasising areas for 2024 improvement, Mbassa highlighted the need for focus on transformation, project implementation, and land reform.
Critical shortfalls in project execution
Meanwhile, Sehularo Sehularo, chairperson of Saamtrek Saamwerk in the Northern Cape, raised concerns about unfinished projects, stating, “Our concerns remain government-funded projects that remain unfinished… accountability and consequence management are not seen in the department of agriculture.”
This, Sehularo explained, is why he gives Didiza 5 out of 10 for her 2023 scorecard. “What matters is a change in the ground level. Farmers have lost hope in our government. Officials are clueless and arrogant when dealing with farmers. There is a long way to go in South African agricultural space,” he said.
Disconnect with commercial farmers
Explaining why he only gave Didiza 2 out of 10, Van Zyl stated, “Our minister is absent when it comes to commercial farmers. This year, we had intense veld fires across the country. Some areas have experienced drought and every time this disaster occurs, we do not hear a thing from her. It is very difficult to say the minister contributed significantly to the agricultural sector this year.”
The TLU SA boss highlighted the need to evaluate the minister’s and department’s contributions toward ensuring a sustainable and thriving agricultural sector in South Africa. He expressed concerns about the approach since the Covid-19 era, citing the allocation of R1.2 billion to only small-scale farmers in a manner that lacked discernible impact.
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