[ad_1]
At least 896 state farms measuring 700,000 hectares are underused or vacant, Agriculture, Agrarian Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza announced on Thursday, adding that the land will be made available to the public.
The farms are located in the Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and North West and the minister’s department is expected to issue advertisements for the occupation of the land in the next two weeks.
READ ALSO: About 15,000 farmers have received vouchers from the aid fund – Didiza
The government will offer a 30-year lease, with an option to purchase, and this form of lease imposes certain obligations on the state as lessor and the beneficiaries as lessees.
He explained that all beneficiaries who have been assigned state land and have signed leases will be subject to a mandatory training program.
“The training program will include entry-level training on the product of your choice, basic record keeping and basic financial management, as well as business development,” said the minister.
The terms of the lease establish that it cannot be transferred under any circumstances, the beneficiary may not sublet or sublet a portion of the land or the entire farm under the lease contract concluded between that time and the state, the beneficiary has an obligation to maintain all the infrastructure and conservation of the assigned land.
The beneficiary will also be responsible for the administration, maintenance of the farm, as well as the maintenance of records of the assets received from the state and that the investments made by the beneficiary must be registered, valued and reported to the state.
The beneficiaries will pay a monthly or annual rental rate per hectare determined by the State, according to the value of the land according to the valuation of the area, and a credit management system will be established to manage the recovery and management of the debt.
Failure to comply with any of the contractual obligations could result in the termination of the lease.
READ ALSO: DA asks Ramaphosa to urgently publish SIU reports on corruption in agrarian reform
The government’s obligations to the beneficiaries are to enter into a lease with the beneficiary 30 days after the application is approved, to ensure that the basic infrastructure is in good condition, and to register the infrastructure and assets on the farm.
The government must also issue monthly invoices to the beneficiary with the payment due date, conduct quarterly inspection visits by the Land Administration Unit to ensure that the State’s infrastructure and assets are in good condition, and submit annual reports. on lease performance and land productivity. to the minister.
Didiza said unsuccessful applicants will have the opportunity to file their appeals with the Land Allocation Appeals Committee.
The minister said a land investigation process will be instituted on occupied state lands without formal approval from the department, and said the investigation will evaluate farms that have been acquired through the Pro Active Land Acquisition (PLAS) program.
“The land investigation will investigate and determine how the people and communities currently occupying the land gained access to it. The research will also analyze how the land is currently used and whether such use is in accordance with agricultural practices in the area. Where such land has been used for settlements, an assessment will be carried out, together with the departments of human settlements and water, environmental, forestry and fisheries affairs, ”said the minister.
He said that since President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement in his February 2020 state of the nation address, the department has given 135,117 hectares of land to 275 farmers.
Approximately 360,173 hectares were identified through the analysis of state lands as claimed equivalent to 413 properties and that 43,670 hectares equivalent to 60 properties were new order claims, a process that had been intercepted by the constitutional court.
At least 4,089 hectares equivalent to 7 properties have already been transferred to land claim beneficiaries.
According to the department, the investigation on 4,558 hectares equivalent to 10 properties has been completed and will be completed in due course and 117,000 hectares are currently being investigated for the 2020/21 financial year.
A total of 30,823 hectares equivalent to 46 properties related to land claims have been liquidated and have not yet been transferred in the current financial year, with the remaining hectares to be transferred as soon as the claims are resolved.
For more news your way, download The Citizen app iOS Y Android.
[ad_2]
