One year later: Rural farmers left behind in GNU promises

With over a year since South Africans went to the polls to vote for the new government, agricultural leaders and political experts have mixed emotions on what has been delivered since the government of national unity (GNU) was formed.

Agri Western Cape chief executive officer Jannie Strydom said that as the country becomes accustomed to the new concept of coalition government, especially in the national government, challenges may arise.

“Power sharing is not always an easy concept to adapt to. We also knew that it would take time, more than a year, to really implement the necessary changes. The agricultural sector urgently needs a government that creates a conducive environment to operate.

“Government should carefully consider legislation that impacts the agricultural sector, because the sector employs close to a million permanent employees and ensures food security in our country. Government should support the sector rather than overregulate it,” Strydom said.

Get local government right

An expert on governance systems in the public sector from the University of Free State (UFS), Dr Harlan Cloete, said it is important for whoever is in power to fix local government, as that is where the bulk of the challenges affecting the farming community lie.

“We need to get local government right. If government wants to restore confidence and hope, they need to start locally because communities are in a mess with so many problems, with government that is absent. That is what government needs to get right,” he said.

Cloete noted that with voters having not given one party a majority, it is critically important for all parties to work together to find common ground and bring services.

“As South Africa, we are learning this coalition dance. It took us three attempts to get the budget passed, so it is a matter of compromise,” he said.

KwaZulu-Natal crop farmer Andile Mkhize said they acknowledge the significance of the government of national unity and the hope it brought for collaborative leadership. However, on the ground, particularly in agriculture, tangible change has been very limited.

“Many smallholder and emerging farmers, especially in rural and under-resourced areas, still face the same challenges, delayed access to inputs, limited market access, lack of infrastructure support, inconsistent extension services and many more. The reality is that policy shifts or high-level agreements haven’t yet translated into everyday improvements for most farmers,” he said.

Public-private partnerships key

Mkhize said that as farmers, they welcome some of the conversations being held around land reform, skills development, and youth inclusion in agriculture.

“We would like to see government focusing on these priorities: infrastructure and logistics investment, because our rural roads, irrigation systems, and reliable electricity are critical. Without this, even the best policy has little impact on productivity and food security.

“Secondly, support for smallholder and emerging farmers, we need targeted subsidies, access to affordable finance, and more incubation hubs or training centres.”

Mkhize said the government needs to invest in digital agriculture and extension services. He believes that the government can partner with agritech startups to digitise agriculture.

“Platforms like ours at Agrivalue can offer real-time data and advisory support, but we need stronger public-private collaboration to reach more farmers and upskill them.

“We remain hopeful and committed to working with all stakeholders for a more productive, inclusive, and tech-enabled agricultural sector,” he said.

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