IN QUOTES | Thoko Didiza speaks land reform, Ingonyama Trust and panel recommendations

Agriculture, land reform and rural development minister Thoko Didiza on Thursday briefed media on the government's progress on land reform and the recommendations made by the presidential advisory panel.   

Here's her address in five quotes:

Implementation of policies

“On the agreed recommendations, the relevant departments would develop action plans to ensure implementation is undertaken. There were some recommendations that were not accepted, not because the issues raised were not important, but such recommendations required further engagements, which are of a policy nature.”

Land donations 

“We are also working on the donations policy, which would then guide those who would want to donate land. The issue of inclusivity in terms of ensuring that we deal with spatial planning, that has been addressed. The framework has been released for comment and I think it does address that issue and ways in which government is looking at targeting land for residential purposes.”

Various departments will adopt recommendations 

“The recommendations that cabinet have adopted are going to be adopted by the departments that are impacted upon by those recommendations, and majority of those would relate to agriculture and land affairs, housing and to a limited extent, justice.”

Ingonyama Trust 

“The proposal is that there must be a review of Ingonyama Trust or a repeal of that legislation. The view of government is that Ingonyama Trust actually falls in the broad scope of tenure reform which is not yet concluded. It will therefore be dealt with in that category of rural tenure.”

Agrarian reform

“The issue of agrarian reform, we do agree it's a programme we are undertaking as government, the release of state land for agricultural development, acquisition of land as it is being done by the department of land reform currently addresses that very issue. Land bank, funds for productive purposes and government in its support for those who want to become farmers and even the building of small farmers to become commercial farmers.”