Agri SA verwelkom aanbevelings van hoëvlak paneel oor sleutel-wetgewing

 

English below – AGRI SA WELCOMES RECOMMENDATIONS BY HIGH-LEVEL PANEL ON KEY LEGISLATION

 23 November 2017

Agri SA verwelkom aanbevelings van hoëvlak paneel oor sleutel-wetgewing

‘n Onafhanklike, hoëvlak paneel wat die effektiwiteit moes ondersoek van wetgewing wat sedert 1994 deur die parlement gepromulgeer is, het Dinsdagaand sy verslag bekendgemaak.

Dié paneel, onder leiding van oudpres. Kgalema Motlanthe, is deur die parlement aangestel om die wetgewing en die implementering daarvan te evalueer en aanbevelings te maak.

Die paneel se fokusareas was onder meer: Armoede, werkloosheid, ongelykheid, diskriminasie, grondhervorming en nasiebou.

Agri SA verwelkom die bevindings van die paneel se lywige verslag van 600 bladsye. Annelize Crosby, Agri SA se hoof van grondsake en regs- en beleidskenner, sê die organisasie is nog besig om die besonderhede van veral spesifieke voorstelle oor wetswysigings te bestudeer en is bekommerd oor enkele kwessies soos die voorstelle oor die onderverdeling van landbougrond. “Maar in die breë word die verslag verwelkom en ondersteun,” sê Crosby. “Veral die bevindinge oor die eiendomsklousule word verwelkom in die huidige klimaat van onsekerheid oor eiendomsreg en onverantwoordelike uitlatings wat in die verband gemaak word.”

Die paneel het gedurende Januarie 2016 afgeskop en het talle werkswinkels en openbare verhore gehou, skriftelike insette van belanghebbende organisasies en persone verwerk en kundiges geraadpleeg oor ‘n verskeidenheid van onderwerpe.

Sommige van die paneel se aanbevelings is die volgende:

• ‘n   Bekwame, ontwikkelings-georiënteerde staat is noodsaaklik om die doelwitte van die Grondwet ten uitvoering te bring.  Dit het egter duidelik geblyk uit die insette van sowel die breë publiek as kundiges dat die regering baie swak vaar wanneer dit kom by die uitvoering van beleid en wetgewing;
• In baie gevalle het die publiek en kundiges volkome saamgestem met die inhoud en doelwitte van beleid en wetgewing, maar was daar fundamentele probleme met die implementering van sodanige beleid en wetgewing.  Dit geld onder meer vir grondhervormingswetgewing;
• Daar blyk konsensus te wees oor die feit dat dit nie soseer ‘n gebrek aan finansiële hulpbronne is wat die implementering van wetgewing kortwiek nie, maar ‘n gebrek aan politieke wil om uitvoering te gee aan beleidsdoelwitte, soos in die geval van grondhervorming, waar die paneel bevind het dat daar wegbeweeg is van die grondwetlike imperatiewe. Laasgenoemde sluit in billike toegang tot grond na ‘n stelsel van staatseienaarskap;
• Waar dit grondhervorming betref, is daar verskeie voorstelle, wat insluit raamwerkwetgewing vir grondhervorming in die breë, wat bepaalde riglyne en prosesse en vereistes sal neerlê om deursigtigheid, aanspreeklikheid en die goeie bestuur van grondhervorming te verseker, asook wetgewing wat erkenning sal verleen aan  die registrasie van besitsregte soos die regte van persone in kommunale gebiede, stede en op plase.  Daar word ook aanbeveel dat daar meer deursigtige prosesse moet wees om begunstigdes van grondhervorming te kies. Verder behoort begunstigdes te kan kies watter vorm van besitreg hulle sou verkies;
• Die ekonomiese- en ontwikkelingsuitkomste van restitusie tot dusver is swak.  Dit gaan waarskynlik tussen 35 en 43 jaar neem om net die uitstaande restitusie-eise af te handel. Daar word heelwat aanbevelings rondom restitusie gemaak, wat insluit dat ‘n navorsingseenheid binne die grondeisekommissie op die been gebring moet word, dat die 1913 datum nie vervroeg moet word nie en dat ou orde eise so gou moontlik afgehandel moet word;
• Die paneel bevel aan dat die parlement ‘n meer aktiewe rol behoort te speel om te verseker dat die uitvoerende gesag wetgewing wel effektief implementeer.  Daar is selfs sprake van strawwe vir nie-voldoening deur die uitvoerende gesag;
• Deelname aan beleids- en wetgewingsprosesse deur die publiek is nie bevredigend nie en die wetgewingsproses behoort hersien te word om meer effektiewe deelname deur die publiek te verseker;
• Die ontwikkeling van die landbousektor moet geprioritiseer word vanweë die sektor se potensiaal om werk te skep en die ekonomie te groei.  Daar behoort oorweging geskenk te word aan ‘n nasionale landbouplan om dit te laat realiseer;
• Slegs 0,4% van die nasionalebegroting gaan tans na grondhervorming en slegs 0,1% word gebruik vir grondaankope.  Verder word die grond nie aan die begunstigdes toegeken nie, maar bly dit in staatsbesit;
• ‘n Belangrike bevinding is dat die Grondwet en spesifiek die eiendomsklousule nie ‘n struikelblok in die weg van grondhervorming is nie. Die betaling van vergoeding is beslis nie die grootste probleem met grondhervorming nie, maar eerder korrupsie deur amptenare, die bevordering van sekere elite-groeperinge, ‘n gebrek aan politieke wil en ‘n gebrek aan opleiding en kapasiteit.

“Ons vertrou dat die ANC tydens hulle beleidskonferensie in Desember sal ag slaan op die sinvolle bevindings en aanbevelings in hierdie verslag” het Crosby gesê.

Uitgereik deur Agri SA, Direktoraat:  Korporatiewe Skakeling

 

AGRI SA WELCOMES RECOMMENDATIONS BY HIGH-LEVEL PANEL ON KEY LEGISLATION

An independent, high-level panel, which was appointed to determine the effectiveness of legislation passed by Parliament since 1994, released its report on Tuesday evening.

This panel, led by former president Kgalema Motlanthe, was appointed by Parliament to evaluate the legislation and the implementation thereof and to make recommendations. The panel’s focus areas included poverty, inequality, discrimination, land reform and nation-building.

Agri SA welcomes the findings set out in the panel’s voluminous 600-page report. Annelize Crosby, Agri SA’s head of land affairs and legal and policy expert, says the organisation is still scrutinising the report, especially the specific proposals for amendments, and is concerned about certain matters such as a proposal regarding the sub-division of agricultural land. “However, in general the report is welcomed and supported,” said Crosby. “The findings relating to the property clause are particularly welcomed given the current climate of uncertainty and irresponsible utterances made in this regard.”

The panel started its work in January 2016 and held many workshops and public hearings, processed written inputs from stakeholder organisations and persons and consulted experts on a variety of subjects.

The panel’s findings include the following: 

• A competent, development-oriented state is essential for achieving the objectives of the Constitution. However, based on the inputs provided by experts as well as the public, it is clear that the government fares very poorly when it comes to implementing policy and legislation;
• In many instances the public and experts agreed fully with the content of the policy and legislation, but identified fundamental problems with the implementation thereof. This applies, among others, to land reform legislation;
• There seems to be consensus that the implementation of legislation is not so much hampered by a lack of financial resources than by a lack of political will to give effect to the policy objectives, as in the case of land reform, where the panel found that there was a movement away from constitutional imperatives such as equitable access to land in favour of a system of state ownership.
• About land reform there are various proposals, including framework legislation for land reform in general, which would make provision for specific guidelines, processes and requirements to ensure transparency, accountability and good governance of land reform, as well as legislation that will recognise the registration of land rights, such as those of people in communal areas, cities and on farms. It is also recommended that more transparent processes should be in place to select beneficiaries of land reform. Beneficiaries should also be able to indicate what form of tenure they prefer;
• The economic and development outcomes of restitution to date have been poor. It will probably take between 35 and 43 years to process the outstanding restitution claims alone. Several recommendations are made around restitution, which includes the establishment of a research unit within the land claims commission, a proposal that the 1913 cut-off date should not be brought forward and that the old-order claims be finalised as soon as possible;
• The panel recommends that Parliament should play a more active role to ensure that the executive authority implements legislation effectively. Mention is even made of penalties in the event of non-compliance by the executive authority;
• Participation in policy and legislative processes by the public is not satisfactory. The legislative process should be reviewed to ensure more effective public participation;
• The development of the agricultural sector must be prioritised because of the sector’s potential to create jobs and grow the economy. Consideration should be given to a national agricultural plan for this to happen;
• Only 0,4% of the national budget is currently spent on land reform and only 0,1% is allocated for the acquisition of land. Moreover, land is not transferred to the beneficiaries but remains in the hands of the state;
• An important finding is that the Constitution, and specifically the property clause, is not an obstacle to land reform. Payment of compensation is certainly not the biggest problem, but rather the corruption by officials, diversion of the budget to certain elite groupings, a lack of political will and lack of training and capacity.

“We trust that the ANC will take heed of the sensible findings and recommendations in this report in the upcoming policy conference in December”, said Crosby.

Issued by Agri SA, Directorate:  Corporate Liaison