Mpumelelo set a backdrop for this emotive issue by saying that “government has failed.” “A target of 30% of land was set for redistribution in 1994, which has not been achieved. Now a lot of emotional statements are being made, like redistribution without compensation etc, the bottom line is that we need to go back to what happened before 1994 to recapture the spirit of conciliation and then continue the discussion.”
Bruce asked Francois how nervous agri-business was about the political implications of land grabs. “Agri business needs to stick to their business principles. That way they will remain successful and in so doing, by implication, black empowerment would be part of the business principle of success. I believe that every sector of business is open to partnerships, but it’s the political animals who are creating divisions.
John weighed in saying that Agbiz was “very involved in the debate with the department of land reform, however the problem with land reform is that government has not delivered, we recognise that the land reform must happen, but we need to look how it is implemented and what the ultimate objective is.”
Bruce put it to Pierre Venter that “land grabs without compensation would affect the banking sector negatively.”
“The agri sector is about R145bn in debt and if farms are taken away without compensation, I think the impact is obvious, I think the banks would be able to survive though, but SA Inc. will see a collapse and fall in food security,” said Pierre
Bruce made the point that the “man in the street does not give a damn, until there is no food on the table.”
Mpumalelo said there “is a commitment from commercial farmers to work with black farmers, but we have to get the skills revolution running so that even with policy failures, people could then do things outside of government assistance. A good skills revolution can mitigate government policy failure.”
The series celebrates its fourth year being broadcast from Nampo and has seen the conversation on the importance of agriculture being widely spread via various mainstream media outlets such as KykNet, 702/Cape Talk, Soweto TV, Business Day TV and many others. The series is also available via YouTube. Download the Nation in Conversation App at
www.nationinconversation.co.za to join the conversation and to access the full broadcast channel where you can watch this entire episode.
Ends.
Issued by:
Marlon Abrahams
Communications Manager
Tel 018 464 7349
Cell 076 412 9717