South Africa's Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Mzwanele Nyhontso, has launched the Integrated Land Reform and Rural Development Support Programme (ILRRDSP) at Nywarha Village in the Eastern Cape, with R1.2 billion allocated for the current financial year.
The programme offers land reform beneficiaries funding, technical support, skills development, infrastructure and market access. Each of the nine provinces will receive between R100 million and R170 million this financial year.
"Returning land without comprehensive and restorative support for those who receive it is not justice, but it is an empty gesture," Nyhontso said at the launch, attended by traditional leaders, beneficiary farmers, officials and community members. He said the era of "dumping our people on land without support is officially over".
The minister said a farmer should enter one coordinated process and leave with a clear path to finance, advice, infrastructure and markets, instead of being sent from one institution to another. The department has partnered with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to strengthen the Land Bank's blended finance scheme, and R500 million has already been committed through the Land Bank.
Nyhontso said the department is working to assess applications faster and tell beneficiary farmers the outcome without long delays. "Agriculture is the foundation, but the ILRRDSP reaches far beyond farming," he said.
The launch was reported by Food for Mzansi.
Photo: Alandmanson / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Source: Food for Mzansi
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