Barry Streek
The government has underspent on its land reform and land restitution budgets by a whopping R1,4-billion over the past four financial years.
This disclosure – given by Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Thoko Didiza in Parliament this week – comes amid widespread concern that the government has been too conservative in applying an excessively bureaucratic land policy.
These concerns have been exacerbated by the land question in Zimbabwe, which has spotlighted South Africa’s slow delivery and fuelled concerns that a tardy approach to land reform could later lead to similar social turmoil.
Didiza’s confirmation of the underspending follows her disclosure to Parliament earlier this year that only 4E923 of the 87E200 claims for land restitution submitted to the government had been settled.
There have been several threats of “Zimbabwe-style” land invasions in South Africa the past two months, although these have appeared opportunistic and have been given little credence by either the government or political commentators.
In the Southern Cape, where until recently none of the claims had been settled, an organisation representing 3E000 claimants threatened to embark on land invasions because none of their claims had been settled. Similar threats have been made in other parts of the country, including the Eastern Cape and Northern Province.
This week Didiza said the Department of Land Affairs had spent R390E550E000 less than budgeted in the 1995/96 financial year. In 1996/97 it had spent R619,1- million less than budgeted, in 1997/98 less than R245,5-million than budgeted, and in the 1998/99 financial year, it spent R92,1- million less than planned. In total, the Department of Land Affairs underspent by R1E347E187E000 on land reform and land restitution over the four financial years, she said.
In her reply to a question from the Democratic Party, Didiza gave various reasons for the underspending during the four financial years, including approved posts not being filled.
She also explained what action had been taken under each programme. In the 1998/99 financial year, she said, “the policy, staff and systems are generally now in place for the programme to be implemented effectively, although some problems persist”.
Among the problems listed by the minister was the fact that R6-million for legal aid to claimants had not been used in the latest financial year.
All of which comes after massive underspending in the government’s welfare department. Auditor General Shauket Fakie said earlier this year the Department of Welfare and Population Development had surrendered R197,7-million of its budget between 1994/95 and 1997/98 because it had been unspent.