A representative of the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) briefed the Committee on the audit outcomes and expenditure patters in the rural development portfolio for the 2014/2015 financial year. The quality of submitted financial statements for the Agricultural Land Holding Account (ALHA) was good but needed improvement. The quality of submitted performance reports for Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) was good but required intervention from the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR or the Department).

The Commission on Restitution of Land Rights (the Commission) presented its expenditure trends and financial and performance report for the 1st quarter of the 2015/16 financial year. The performance was fully described by noting the achievements and the targets. In the first quarter, there was a target to settle 92 land claims but the Commission settled 38. 57 land claims were finalised against a quarterly target of 74. Eight projects were approved, against a quarterly target of 12. From the 1998 land claims, 195 land claims were researched compared to the quarterly target of 532.

The Chairperson introduced the first day of public hearings on the Recapitalisation and Development Programme (RADP) in the agricultural sector by noting that the Committee had done oversight in the Northern Cape of the farms that were beneficiaries of the programme, and now wanted to hear the outcomes of the independent evaluation of the programme, and also hear from beneficiaries.

The Committee was briefed by the Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) on its third quarter 2014/15 performance and financial report. Apologies were received from the Minister and Deputy Minister. At the outset, Members expressed their dismay that the ITB was reporting from a document that contained different figures to the one sent through to Members earlier, and it was difficult to follow the presentation. Secondly, several commented that the reporting format was problematic, as it did not conform to standard practices nor terminology as used in the Public Finance Management Act.

The Committee received a presentation of the evaluation report on the implementation of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) by the Department of Perfomance, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME). The National Evaluation Plan (NEP) containing 52 evaluations that cut across government had been approved by Cabinet in 2012/13. There were eight evaluations in the rural development sector and the CRDP was one of the key programmes implemented since 2009.

The meeting began with the adoption of the draft report on the budget vote 39, where a number of small issues were raised, including typos and minor amendments. The main thrust of the changes was that the Land Claims Court should be given greater priority, and a policy needed to be put in place to help with alleviating the bottlenecks in these courts. The adoption of the report became heated when the DA abstained from approving it, even though they had been a part of the process from the beginning.

The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DLDLR) provided a progress report on its interventions to address the challenges arising from the actions of the Rama Communal Property Association (CPA). The CPA had initiated some income generating activities on its land, which included a quarry business, and had started a museum and an entertainment centre that featured a cinema. In partnership with the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and private investors the CPA was in the process of developing houses on its land.

The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) briefed the Committee on its third quarter 2014/15 performance and progress on the recommendations made by the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and the Management Performance Assessment Tool (MPAT) evaluation.

While the Committee was waiting for delegates from the Departments of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) and Environmental Affairs (DEA) to arrive, it had time to engage on other matters which were not on the agenda. Members were told the Committee had received a late invitation from the DRDLR to attend an indaba in Johannesburg on March 20. They agreed to seek more details on the event before deciding whether Members should attend. Minutes of the February 24 meeting were adopted without any corrections.

The draft report on the public hearings on the Implementation of the Recapitalization and Development Programme (RDP) of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (the Department) was presented before the Committee for approval and comments. The main issues that arose in the approval of the draft report were the oversight role of the Committee, sustainability and implementation.

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries is currently developing a project in conjunction with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) to create Agri-parks in locations throughout South Africa. These Agri-parks aim to involve smallholders and local producers in the entire process of agriculture to address both food security and poverty. The Department hopes to fight issues such as the 14 million hungry South Africans, unused potential farmland, and the inequality between private agricultural business and the people.

The Committee received submissions from the Langa Livestock Farmers Association, The Congress of South African Trade Unions and its affiliate, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union, the Legal Resources Centre and the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies on the second day of public hearings on the Recapitalisation and Development Programme (RADP).