Mzwanele Nyhontso, the minister of land reform and rural development, recently launched the Integrated Land Reform and Rural Development Support Programme (ILRRDSP) at Nywarha Village in the Eastern Cape.
The launch was attended by traditional leaders, land reform beneficiary farmers, government officials, and community members, and the theme was “From land access to sustainable livelihoods: Empowering rural communities through integrated support”.
The programme will include funding, technical support, skills development, infrastructure, and market access for land reform beneficiaries. R1.2 billion has been allocated to the programme for the current financial year.
Addressing injustices of the past
Nyhontso highlighted the unfairness of land handover without further support and how the programme would work in such cases.
“Returning land without comprehensive and restorative support for those who receive it is not justice, but it is an empty gesture.
“Land without the means to productively use it simply perpetuates the inequalities of the past. Today, with the inauguration of the Integrated Support Programme, we are declaring that the era of dumping our people on land without support is officially over,” he said.
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He added that not only land was taken during colonisation. “When the colonial invaders took our land, they did not just take the soil. They also stole cattle, which represented the most important source of wealth and economic capital for our ancestors.”
All nine provinces in the country will receive an amount ranging from R100 million to R170 million for the financial year.
“We envision a support system where a beneficiary farmer enters one coordinated process and leaves with a clear path to funding, technical advice, infrastructure support, and market access.
“We are determined to ensure that the practice of sending a farmer from one institution to another will be a thing of the past,” Nyhontso said.
Working with financial institutions to strengthen support
The department created partnerships with several finance institutions, such as the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), to strengthen and improve the Land Bank blended finance scheme.
“These are not promises without action, as we have already committed R500 million through the Land Bank for a blended finance scheme, adding that a sod-turning event held with the DBSA two weeks ago showed that the programme is certainly moving from policy to implementation,’’ Nyhontso added.
He stressed the importance of the agricultural sector and the need for the programme to offer support beyond farming. “Let us be clear, agriculture is the foundation, but the ILRRDSP reaches far beyond farming.”
Nyhontso noted that they are trying to speed up the process of assessing and evaluating the applications received and provide outcomes to beneficiary farmers without taking a long period of time.
“We recognise that applicants need certainty, and we are committed to accelerating decisions, communicating outcomes promptly, and ensuring that approved beneficiaries receive support without unnecessary delay,” he said.
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