Scopa blasts 'scandalous' dearth of land reform figures

It was “scandalous” that the ministry of rural development did not know how much land the state owned, Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) said on Tuesday.

“Don’t you really think that it’s scandalous that people who have submitted their claims more than 10 years ago ... we still cannot be able to say this is what has been submitted to us, this is what has been processed, this is what is outstanding,” Scopa chair Themba Godi said, SABC news reported.

“Maybe it’s a reflection on the department, maybe it’s a reflection on us as Parliament as well, but I’m just saying for the people out there, what a letdown.”

This emerged as the department’s director general Mdu Shabane appeared before the committee to discuss its audit report for 2010/2011.

“We are hugely embarrassed by this,” Shabane told the committee.

He said the department was busy finalising a register to reflect how many hectares had been sold, how much land the state owned and how many land claims still needed to be gazetted.

Godi said this was “very depressing” and that “drastic measures” were required to fix the situation.—Sapa