TLU SA neem met misnoeë kennis van bewyse dat die departement van landbou, grondhervorming en landelike ontwikkeling oor die afgelope vyf jaar meer as ‘n R246 miljoen aan die South African Farmers Development Association (SAFDA) gegee het.
Volgens ‘n parlementêre antwoord aan die DA het minister Thoko Didiza gesê haar departement het R246 664 290 aan SAFDA betaal, maar daar is geen duidelikheid oor hoe en hoe suksesvol die besteding hiervan is nie. Die ooreenkoms tussen die twee partye bevat verder ‘n vertroulikheidsklousule, wat nog meer vrae laat ontstaan oor waarvoor hierdie openbare fondse aangewend is.
“Ons is redelik oortuig dat die gemeenskappe wat veronderstel was om deur hierdie fondse bevoordeel te word, geensins beter daaraan toe is nie,” sê mnr. Henry Geldenhuys, die president van TLU SA. “Soos met die finansiële hulp wat die regering aan die begin van die COVID-19-pandemie aan klein boere uitbetaal het, is dit duidelik dat dié wat die fondse toeken geen insig in die voedselvoorsiening van Suid-Afrika het nie. Hierdie boere voorsien maar 3% van die nasionale aanvraag na voedsel. Deur die grootste finansiële ondersteuning aan hierdie groepe en bestaansboere te gee, help geensins om die 68% verstedelikte bevolking van kos te voorsien nie.”
Dit is vir TLU SA duidelik dat hierdie tipe hulpverlening bloot ‘n poging is om mense afhanklik te hou van die staat. Dit is nie volhoubaar nie en gaan niemand op die lang duur bemagtig nie.
“Ons verwag dat die regering ernstig moet besin oor die toekoms van die land,” sê mnr. Geldenhuys. “Die regering is besig om al hoe verder van moontlike oplossings af weg te beweeg. Die inwoners van die land begin ook al hoe meer besef dat daar binne die beleidsraamwerk van die ANC nie oplossings is nie. Gemeenskappe sal al hoe meer hulle eie omstandighede vir die toekoms moet skep.”
TLU SA disgruntled over quarter billion rand payments to SAFDA
TLU SA is disgruntled with evidence that the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development gave the South African Farmers Development Association (SAFDA) more than R246 million over the past five years.
In answer to a parliamentary question from the DA, Min Thoko Didiza admitted that her department paid SAFDA R246 664 290, but it is not clear how they applied the funds and what the success was. Furthermore, the agreement between the two parties also includes a confidentiality clause, which creates even more questions on how they spent these public funds.
"We are quite certain that the communities who were supposed to benefit from these funds are no better off than they were," says Mr Henry Geldenhuys, the president of TLU SA. "As with the financial support paid to smallscale farmers at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that whoever awards these funds have no insight into the food supply in South Africa. These farmers provide only 3% of the national demand for food. Giving this group and subsistence farmers the biggest chunk of financial support does nothing to supply food to 68% of the urbanised population."
It is clear to TLU SA that this type of support is nothing but an effort to keep people dependent on the state. It is not sustainable and will not empower one person in the long run.
"We expect the government to think about the future of the country seriously," says Mr Geldenhuys. "The government is drifting further and further away from possible solutions. The country's residents realise a bit more every day that there are no solutions within the policy framework of the ANC. Communities will have to create their own circumstances for the future."
