Parliament, Saturday, 8 May 2021 – The Select Committee on Land Reform, Environment, Mineral Resources and Energy received briefings recently from the Departments of Mineral Resources and Energy, and Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, on their annual performance plans (APPs) and budgets for the 2021/22 financial year.
Presenting the APP of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister Gwede Mantashe told the committee that the objectives of the department include an increase of the contribution of the sector to the national GDP from 8% to 12%. He said: “We are an economic department, not a regulatory one.” He assured the committee about the department’s commitment to accountability to the committee.
The committee told the department to come again to present a report on its entities that received a R6.6 billion allocation from the departmental budget over the MTEF (Medium Term Expenditure Framework) period. The committee also congratulated the department for the unqualified audit outcome for the 2019/20 financial year.
On the implementation of the social and labour plans by the mining companies, the committee heard that there are mining companies that do not implement their social and labour plans. The department told the committee that there is a new directorate that is going to be focusing on this area of work to ensure that communities benefit from mining that takes place in their area.
Mr Mantashe said the department has regular community outreach programmes. He said the community programme is not just about talking about pollution of the environment by the mining company, but the department emphasises on the involvement of the people, especially young people in the mining business that takes place in their community.
The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Tebogo Modise, appreciated the department’s regular community meetings, especially for the purposes of the involvement of the community in the mining of mineral resources near them. “We note and appreciate your regular community meetings Minister and the department, particularly your involvement of young people,” added Ms Modise.
Leading the delegation of the department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, its Minister, Ms Thoko Didiza, assured the committee about the commitment of the department to the APP it presented to the committee. She told the committee that she will present all the programmes thar are focused on provinces when she delivers the budget debate vote of the department.
The committee engaged the department on a variety of issues that included the state of the national genetic seed bank in South Africa for the preservation of indigenous crop material for future generations, and how much has the department allocated to the genetic seed bank. The department indicated that the national seed bank is under it, and other seed banks are at the Agricultural Research Council, and the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries is conserving the seeds.
On poultry schemes that the department highlighted in its presentation, the committee heard that the poultry master plan was concluded and it is implemented at national and provincial levels and the focus is on ramping up production and ensuring that there are farmers who can be contract growers.
The committee welcomed the significant increase in allocations towards the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) grant. The department assured the committee that all the provinces have their implementation plans for these grant allocations, and that control measures are in place to ensure that the grant reaches the right beneficiaries and that there is no wasteful expenditure and underspending.
In welcoming the presentation of the department, Ms Tebogo Modise appreciated the plans of the department which she described as progressive and called for their meaningful translation into pushing back the frontiers of poverty to ordinary South Africans, and to contribute to the economy.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON LAND REFORM, ENVIRONMENT, MINERAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, MS TEBOGO MODISE.
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