BY
HON PN MSIMANGO MPL
Mhlonishwa Somlomo,
Umnyango wezolimo ungumgogodla womnotho njengoba ukudla kuvela enhlabathini. Lomnyango unomsebenzi omkhulu wokufuqa ngamandla izinhlelo zezolimo ephakathini. Iqembu leNkatha liyasemukela isabelo zimali somnyango kodwa liyafisa ukuthi inkohlakalo ayiqedwe kulomnyango. Lomnyango awukhuphule amasokisi ukuze ukwazi ukuthola umbiko omuhle kumncwaningi mabhuku.
Iqembu leNkatha nakhu elikuphawulayo ngesabelo somnyango wezolimo
HOD
Iqembu leNkatha likhathazekile ngokungabi khona kweNhloko emnyangweni wezolimo nokwenza lomnyango ungasebenzi kahle ngendlela efanele. Iqembu leNkatha lithi akusheshiswe uhlelo lokuqashwa kweNhloko yomnyango ngokusemthethweni. Lonke uhlelo lunesikhathi esibekelwe sona ngakhoke sifuna ukwazi ukuthi iqokwa nini inhloko yomnyango entsha?
CORRUPTION
The IFP is concerned about rampant corruption in the department of agriculuture. We expect the MEC to eradicate this scourge. Asiqine isandla ekulwisaneni nenkohlakalo kulomnyango njengoba lomnyango udume kabi ngokuthi kungcwele inkohlakalo. A forensic report‚ commissioned by former agriculture MEC Meshack Radebe in 2012‚ and which cost the province R10-million‚ but has not been made public‚ uncovered a series of alleged misspending of taxpayer’s money on the Mjindi Farming project.
The report revealed that: – Seed potatoes ordered for the project cost R45-million but only R9.3-million of the actual goods were delivered — which resulted in R13.6-million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure‚ R28.2-million irregular expenditure and R14.1-million unauthorised expenditure; – Cabbage seeds for R1.8-million were paid for but only R927 worth of seeds was accounted for and R1.95-million of onion seeds were paid for but only R1.5-million were accounted for; and – Irrigation pipes worth R11.9-million were bought but R4.4-million worth of those pipes were found to be unsuitable for use.
Sikushayela ihlombe futhi ukuxoshwa kwezisebenzi ezimbili emnyangweni ezithinteka enkohlakalweni kaR5 million lapho bebehlangene khona nezinkampani ezithize ngenhloso yokuthi zithole intshontsho.
Ngaphezu kwalokho sinxusa uNdunankulu uMhlonishwa uMacingwane ukuthi akadedele umbiko omayelana nodaba lwenkohlakalo ethinta imali eyabe ibekelwe ukusiza abalimi abakhahlanyezwe isomiso lapha esifundazweni? Amahlazo awadalulwe ukuthi kubonakale ukuthi ngobani abazitamuzela izimali emnyangweni wezolimo. Uma lungabibikho uhlelo olucacile lokusatshalaliswa kwezimbewu kusekude ukuthi inkohlakalo iphele.
Akuphindwe kwenziwe uphenyo olunzulu mayelana nokuthi bangaki abasebenzi bomnyango abaphethe amapulazi kanye nokuthi ngabe bawathola kanjani? Iqembu leNkatha likusho lokhu ngoba liyasola ukuthi abasebenzi abanapulazi kungenzeka ukuthi babuye basebenzise izinsiza zomnyango ekutheni kusimame amapulazi abo.
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Umnyango wezolimo uma uzimisele ngokuthuthukisa abalimi ezindaweni zasemakhaya awenze uphenyo olunzulu mayelana nokuthi mangaka amapulazi anikezelwa kubantu uhulumeni ngenhloso yokuthi balime ukuze umnyango ube nesiqiniseko sokuthi kumele usize abalimi abangaki. Awuqine umkhankaso wokuxhasa ngezimali imifelandawonye ebonakala yenza kahle kwezolimo. Kodwa engenzi kahle umnyango awuyeseke ngolwazi kanye namakhono ukuze naye izosimama. Ayingashiywa eceleni kodwa ayisizwe. Izindawo ezihlala umphakathi azibiywe ukuze ikwazi ukulima. Ayihlinzekwe ngogandaganda bokulima.
EMERGING FARMERS
Iqembu leNkatha lifuna lomnyango ukuwubona usemshikashikeni wokusiza abalimi abasafufusa ngoba baba nenkinga yokungakwazi ukuthola usizo olufanele ngendlela ikakhulukazi olwezimali. Ukusizwa kabalimi abasafufusa kumele kube umsebenzi wayoyonke imikhakha kuhlanganisa nezinkampani ezizimele. The Inkatha Freedom Party in KwaZulu-Natal commends Coca Cola Beverages South Africa for allocating an amount of R400 million to support emerging farmers. It says this represents a step in the right direction.
Support for emerging farmers would enable the government to improve the participation of black South Africans in commercial agriculture. Appropriate support must be given to all emerging farmers. To achieve success, emerging farmers require a comprehensive agribusinesses support package, including access to funding, provision of technical expertise and mentorship and contracted markets. Without this necessary support they will not succeed in farming.
YOUTH IN AGRICULTURE
Iqembu leNkatha lithi awuqiniswe umkhankaso wokutshala uthando entsheni ekutheni ingene emkhakheni wezolimo. Sifuna ukubona nezinhlangano ezifana neNational Youth Development Agency (NYDA) ezimele ukusiza abantu abasha zisembhidlangweni wokusiza intsha esemkhakheni wezolimo.
Siphonsela uNgqongqoshe umnyango wezolimo ukuthi wenze uphenyo mayelana namapulazi aphethwe intsha ukuze yazi ukuthi ingaki intsha ezimbandakanye nomkhakha wezolimo ukuze ikwazi ukuthuthukiswa ngendlela efanele. Kumele Ukuqguguzela intsha kwezolimo kumele kube into eqala emazingeni aphansi ezikoleni njengoba kwakwenzeka ekuqaleni abafundi betshala izivande ezikoleni.
Lokhu kuzosiza ekutheni uma umnyango ukhipha imifundaze abafundi bebesebenolwazi kanye nothando lwezolimo uma sebesebezikhungweni zemfundo ephakeme. Sinxusa umnyango wezolimo ukuthi awusebenzisane nomnyango wezemfundo ekutheni kwandiswe izikole lapho kufundiswa khona izifundo zezolimo ezikoleni. Asandiswe nesibalo sothisha abaqeqeshelwe ukufundisa umkhakha wezolimo ezikoleni.
SEEDS DISTRIBUTION
We are concerned about the late distribution of seeds to the people. Ngikusho lokhu ngoba imiphakathi eminingi ayizange ilinyelwe futhi eminye inikezwe izimbewu sekwedlule isikhathi sokutshala. Siphonselela uNgqongqoshe inselelo ukuthi akalubhekisise kabanzi udaba lwezimbewu ukuthi kungani abantu benikwa zona sekwedlule isikhathi sokutshala ngoba lokho kufana nomdlalo. Abantu abanikezwe izimbewu ngesikhathi esifanele ukuze bakwazi ukutshala.
NTINGWE TEA ESTATE
The IFP supports any investment to make Ntingwe Tea Estate more productive. Iqembu leNkatha lithi limelelene nokuthi kuvalwe iNtingwe Tea Estate ngoba baningi abantu abahlomulayo eNkandla ngokuba khona kwayo njengoba bekwazi ukuxosha ikati eziko ngamathuba omsebenzi. Sinxusa uMhlonishwa uMvelase ukuthi akaqinisekise ukuthi loluhlelo lusekwa ngezimali ukuze luqhubeke.
VACANT POSTS
The IFP demands that existing vacancies in the department of agriculture be filled at the earliest. We are concerned about the delay in filing critical vacant posts. It can take up to three years for government departments to fill a funded post. The IFP is of the view that for every position that is not filled it is the people of KwaZulu-Natal that suffer as the standard of services rendered are reduced to compensate for the vacancy.
It is unacceptable that some departments take up to 36 months to fill vacancies. The public service is meant to deliver essential services to the people, a majority of which are poor, and this turnaround time has a direct impact to the quality of services rendered. Ezifundeni eziningi emmahovisi omnyango wezolimo kungcwele izisebenzi ezingabaqondisi ababambe okwesikhashana. Lolu udaba oludinga ukubhekisiswa ngeso elibanzi.
FARM DWELLERS
Ukuphepha nokuthuthukiswa kwabahlali basemapulazi ngezinye zezinto lomnyango okumele uzisukumele. Abasebenzi basemapulazini abasahlukunyezwa abalimi abamhlophe njengoba abanye bedilizelwa imizi yabo, bengavunyelwe ukugcwaba emapulazini nokuthi bafuye imfuyo. Abavumelekile futhi nokuthi bathole izidingo zentuthuko. Abanye abasebenzi abakhehla umoba basetshenziswa kwabuhlungu ngokuthi banganikezwa izingubo zokuzivikela kanye nokuthi bakhokhelwe ngokomsebenzi abawenzile phecelezi uhlelo olubizwa ngokuthi “UMJAHO”. Awungenelele nomnyango wezabasenzi kuloludaba. Akuphindwe kuvikelwe abalimi abahlaselwa izigilamkhuba ezintshontsha imfuyo ziphinde zibabulale. Lokhu akwenzeke ngokubambisana phakathi kwalomnyango kanye nomnyango wezokuphepha komphakathi.
EXTENSION OFFICERS
Lolu uhlelo olufile oludinga ukuvuselelwa kabusha ngoba imiphakathi eminingi iyakhala ngokuthi ayibazi abeluleki bezolimo kanti abanye bangamavila abawenzi ngendlela efanele umsebenzi wabo. Uma kukhona abeluleki abangafuni ukusiza umphakathi kwezolimo abasuswe kufakwe abantu abanothando lokusiza umphakathi.
AGRIC GRAUDATES
The IFP supports the Agricultural Graduates Placement Programme (AGPP). This programme aims to link unemployed agricultural graduates with work experience and other job opportunities in the country’s agricultural value-chain. The online graduate portal seeks to bridge the gap in the agricultural sector by linking the existing but unutilised agricultural skills and talents with commercial farms, unproductive land reform farms, and the agri-business value-chain. Loluhlelo aluqinisekise ukuthi ngempela abafundi abagcini bewela ezandleni ezingafanele kodwa bangena ezindaweni ezifanele ukuze bathole isipiliyoni esifanele.
Sengiphetha Mvelase ngizwa ngidabuka ngoba noma izinhlelo zomnyango wakho zingaba zinhle kanjani kodwa iqembu leNkatha linovalo lokuthi njengoba ubudlelwano phakathi kwenhlangano yakho iSACP ingasakhothani kahle ne-ANC kungenzeka uKhongolose ukugcindezele ngamabomu ekutheni ungakwazi ukwenza kahle umsebenzi ukuze ubonakale njengesehluleki. Lokhu kungenzeka ngisho nasezisebenzini ezikuzungezile ukuthi zenze umnyango kube kukwamachanca kwampunzi edla emini zingakulaleli ngoba nakhu zifunzwa abathile eqenjini elibusayo ukuze uhlinzelwe ezibini.
Ngiyathokoza
