Latest news with #MzwaneleNyhontso
IOL News
27-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Corruption Watch calls for investigation into failed farm worker equity schemes
Corruption Watch wants the Public Protector to launch an investigation into the failure of Farm Worker Equity Schemes (FWES), meant to empower farm workers. Image: Photo: AFP Corruption Watch has urged the Public Protector to investigate the systemic failures of Farm Worker Equity Schemes (FWES), revealing a troubling history of unfulfilled promises and ongoing injustices against farm workers. The organisation said it has received various reports from community-based organisations regarding FWES's failure to achieve its objective of contributing to land reform. The project was introduced 30 years ago following the change to a democratic government and was designed to empower farm workers by giving them shared ownership of commercial farms. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) implemented the project. Since last year, the department has been split into Agriculture with John Steenhuisen as Minister and Land Reform and Rural Development with Mzwanele Nyhontso as Minister. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ However, the anti-corruption body said the initiative has failed, leaving many workers without the benefits they were promised. Melusi Ncala, a senior researcher and project lead at Corruption Watch, said this was intended to be a transformation initiative that was hijacked by government officials and commercial interests who, when presented with the opportunity soon after South Africa transitioned to democracy, chose instead to lie, cheat and steal from the poor. In its letter to the Office of the Public Protector, Corruption Watch said the schemes failed due to abuse of power and an undue delay in resolving the complaints of the beneficiaries, and maladministration of FWES and the disbursement process. The organisation said that dishonesty or improper dealing with respect to public money also added to the failure of the scheme. The implementation also failed due to the lack of information, especially with respect to the financial affairs of FWES, such as shareholding and the dividends due, and paid out, to beneficiaries. The lack of oversight and regulation by the DALRRD also impacted the project. The Public Protector's spokesperson, Khulu Phasiwe, said the office did not have a record of the complaint but they will give feedback when there is an update on the matter. Oteng Makgotlwe, the spokesperson for Corruption Watch, insisted that the complaint has been filed. The Department Land Reform and Rural Development requested 48 hours to respond. Corruption Watch said that correspondence has been exchanged with the DALRRD in an attempt to raise these issues but this has not led to any substantive progress. Corruption Watch said the Public Protector should conduct an investigation into FWES and make an appropriate recommendation for remedial action as the complaint deals with the intersection between various departments as well as vehicles established for redress using public funds and in concert with the private sector. The organisation added that it was aware that a complaint must ordinarily be reported to the Public Protector within two years from the date of the occurrence of the incident. However, the issue of FWES does not have a fixed start and end date, instead, it is a continuing and systemic problem that remains unresolved and ongoing to this day. 'Another reason for only bringing this matter to the attention of your office now is that the affected beneficiaries, along with the organisations assisting them, have been diligently attempting to exhaust all available avenues and remedies before approaching your office. This is clearly demonstrated by the extensive correspondence and attempts at resolution outlined in paragraph five of this letter. This complaint is therefore submitted in good faith and the interest of justice, given the persistent nature of the issues at hand,' read the letter. The government previously commissioned consultancy firm ZALO Capital to review FWES on the basis that they thought something was amiss. Completed by 2013, the report highlights a review of almost 89 equity schemes – the majority of which are in the Western Cape and the rest are sprinkled across the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and other farming regions in the country. The report found that there were significant financial irregularities, mismanagement, improper accounting practices, and other forms of possible malfeasance. Ncala said the report, which was presented to the DALRRD, has since disappeared, claiming 'the department swiftly smothered it'. 'It is deeply ironic that the country now finds itself targeted by a treacherous disinformation campaign, about imaginary 'land confiscations' and 'mass killings', while farm workers continue to be abused, displaced, and dispossessed of everything they have, including their land. This is the true reflection of the state of our society,' he said. * This story will be updated when the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development responds.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Newshour Trump ambushes South African president with 'white persecution' claims
In an extraordinary Oval Office meeting, President Trump ambushes the South African president with claims of white farmers being persecuted. We hear a response from Mzwanele Nyhontso, the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development for South Africa. Also on the programme: how the Italian authorities dealt a blow to a powerful international arm of the mafia – the 'Ndrangheta; and a conservation success story from India, saving the Asiatic Lion. (Photo: US President Donald Trump shows a copy of an article that he said it's about white South Africans who had been killed in the Oval Office. Credit: Reuters)
News24
08-05-2025
- Politics
- News24
Steenhuisen will respond to ActionSA's question about his travel costs this week
ActionSA has questioned all ministers on travel costs, citing R184m in expenses since July 2024, which excludes the five ministers who haven't responded on time. One of those ministers, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, pledged to submit his travel expense details this week after delays were brought about by administrative checks. Ministers' failure to answer parliamentary questions promptly has been an ongoing issue in the national legislature. Agriculture Minister and DA leader John Steenhuisen will respond this week to ActionSA's question about his and his deputy's travel costs. According to ActionSA's calculations, the government of national unity (GNU) has spent more than R184 million on travel and other perks since its formation in July last year. However, the travel costs of Steenhuisen, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso, Social Development Minister Nokuzola Tolashe, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie and Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni are excluded from this amount, as these ministers are yet to respond. ActionSA's question to these five ministers was posed in February. In terms of Parliament's rules, ministers must answer within 10 days after a question is submitted. They can apply for extensions. Last week, ActionSA chief whip Lerato Ngobeni wrote to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza to ask that the matter be referred to Deputy President Paul Mashatile in his capacity as the leader of government business and the House. She also asked that they be formally reprimanded in the House. News24 asked the five ministers why they didn't respond to the questions on time. On Wednesday afternoon, Steenhuisen's spokesperson, Joylene van Wyk, said: 'The question was broad, and as such, we needed to go back administratively to the start of the new administration to give an accurate reflection of the travel cost incurred, which includes flights, car rental, accommodation, etc. 'All the figures were separate and had to be added up cumulatively to get the total representation of travel costs incurred by the three offices (Office of Agriculture Minister, Office of Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Office of Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform). 'The question is currently with the Deputy Minister's Office for the finalisation of their travel details. The response will be submitted, still this week, to Parliament and be circulated next week.' Previously, McKenzie's spokesperson, Stacey Khojane, and Nyhontso's media liaison officer, Cassiem Khan, responded similarly. 'The outstanding response relating to travel costs is still being compiled as it requires input from both the minister and deputy minister, as well as verification of travel records,' said Khojane. 'Due to the complexity of the information, the process is taking longer than usual, but it is receiving urgent attention and will be submitted once finalised.' Last year, a parliamentary question revealed that McKenzie's trip to the Olympics cost R800 000. Khan said Nyhontso intended to answer all questions posed to him. He said there was some confusion because some of the questions were answered in the portfolio committee and were repeated in writing. Furthermore, Nyhontso's department split from agriculture, meaning some technical staff were not available to answer questions. But Khan assured: 'Nothing will be left unanswered.' Ministers' failure to respond timeously to written parliamentary questions has been a longstanding issue for opposition parties in Parliament. In the seventh Parliament, the EFF and ActionSA have been driving the issue. The most recent available report, dated 4 April, shows that 230 out of 1 290 questions were unanswered within the required deadline, and only 9 of the 32 ministers had answered all their questions on time.
Eyewitness News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Land reform minister defends new race classification requirements for land transfers as part of dept's land audit
CAPE TOWN - Land Reform Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso has defended new race classification requirements in the transfer of land as part of his department's land audit. He told Wednesday's economic cluster ministerial question session that government had to know who owned the land in the country and was not targeting any particular race. Nyhontso was responding to a question from the Democratic Alliance (DA), which wants him to amend the new regulation that requires people who receive land to disclose their race and gender. The DA's Mlindi Nhanha asked Minister Nyhontso what the legal and constitutional basis was for making the disclosure of race and gender mandatory in the new requirements for the transfer of property. The DA also wrote to Nyhontso demanding that he withdraw the new race rules in the deeds offices across South Africa, calling on him to halt their enforcement. But Nyhontso said that the requirement was necessary. "This regulation is not going to be used against other races. This regulation is going to be used to understand the land and to understand who owns the land, so we are able to audit the land in this country." Nyhontso also told the House that R26 billion was paid to former land owners and R27 billion was paid for financial compensation to claimants.
IOL News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Minister Nyhontso defends race and gender disclosure for land transfers
Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso has defended the regulation that requires disclosure of race and gender in the transfer of land and property. Image: FILE Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso has defended the new regulation mandating that individuals disclose their race and gender to facilitate property transfers in the country. Nyhontso reassured parliamentarians that the regulation, which will be used for statistical and land audit purposes, would not be used to discriminate against any race. 'This regulation is going to be used to understand the land and to understand who owns the land, so that we are able to audit the land in this country. 'By the way, even if you are buying a car, even if you are in the bank, you still have a form. Even if you are at the Office of Home Affairs, you are asked this question. Are you an African? Are you white? Are you Indian?,' he said. Nyhontso said the use of the form did not mean this was apartheid against others. 'The land must be known, who owns the land because this land remains the land of the African people,' he said. Nyhontso was responding to a question from DA MP Mlindi Nhanha during the oral question session in the National Assembly on the legal and/or constitutional basis for making the disclosure of race and gender mandatory requirements for the transfer of property. He told the MPs that he has submitted a bill to the portfolio committee and that this has to go to Cabinet and then come back in Parliament. 'At the end of the day we must be addressing this land issue, which is called the equitable land access bill.' Asked how his department will monitor and enforce compliance of the new regulation, Nyhontso said the Deeds Registration System will prevent any deed of transfer that does not comply with the new requirement that persons must provide demographic data, including race, during land transactions. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ He explained that the form will compel persons to divulge every detail, whether it's their ID number or the race or whether they are a foreign or a local person. 'With that, we are going to be able to know that this data is legitimate.' Nyhontso was asked if the intention of the new regulation was geared to know the land ownership patterns in South Africa. 'As things stand, it is difficult to know exactly who owns the land in South Africa hence this regulation. And even this regulation is saying we must register land ownership but not register retrospectively.' MK Party MP Andile Mngxitama said the question by Nhanha showed the DA's nervousness towards transformation. Mngxitama said land was stolen from black people and it must be returned to the rightful owners who are black people, including women. 'If we do not measure land returned by race and gender, how will we know if land is being returned to its rightful owners and at what rate?' Mgxitama also said there was nothing unlawful with race and gender redress. 'Your partners in the Government National Unity (GNU) are simply nervous around transformation. Do you agree?' he asked. In response, Nyhontso said he would not respond on behalf of his GNU partners. 'I agree with you that transformation must happen and it must be known who owns what (land) and where in South Africa,' he said.
