AGRICULTURE, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza has announced the process for people applying for available agricultural state land as part of government’s contribution to land reform.
At a media briefing today, Didiza said in the next two weeks, government would issue advertisement notices of 896 farms measuring 700 0000 hectares of underutilised or vacant state land in Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and North West. “Gauteng and Western Cape have no land to be advertised,” she said.
The minister said the advertisement notices would be in local, district and provincial newspapers, on websites and local radio stations. “Application forms will be available in district offices and provincial offices of departments of agriculture, land reform and rural development, as well as municipal district offices.”
She said after the closing date, all received applications would be compiled and captured on a database per district in each province. The district beneficiary screening committee would screen the applications, interview against the criteria as set out in the advertisement notice and make recommendations. “The provincial technical committee will evaluate and review the district committee’s recommendations and submit to the national department for approval.
“The national selection and approval committee will consider all recommendations and approve suitable applications. Both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be informed of the outcome in writing.”
Didiza said unsuccessful applicants could register appeals with the land allocation appeals committee. She said all beneficiaries who’ve been allocated state land and signed lease agreements would be subjected to a compulsory training programme. “The programme will include entry level training on the commodity of their choice, basic record keeping, and basic financial management as well as enterprise development.”
She said government would offer a 30-year leasehold, with an option to buy, which placed certain obligations on the State as the lessor and beneficiaries as lessees.
