intsika yethu local municipality - Provincial Spatial Development plan

Without a credible Land Asset Register IYLM has relied on its valuation roll to identify land potentiallyavailable for development throughout the municipal area. A recent valuation in July of 2011 and twosubsequent supplementary valuations have provided a credible basis for which IYLM has been consideringfuture land development. The imminent completion of a more updated SDF will further inform themunicipality in this regard.With regards to addressing land degradation and revitalisation, the municipality currently lacks anexisting plan in this regard, but is undertaking work to address this issue. It has been prioritised andprovided for as part of the high-level service delivery targets identified later in this document.Consideration is being given towards the development of a plan in this regard.One of the challenges in this regard has been that of land invasion, of which the municipality hasexperienced at least one incident recently. Although IYLM does not have any formal mechanisms in placein the event of land invasions, its past experience has made it familiar with the process of approaching theCourts and following due process of the law prior to enforcing removals from illegally occupied land. As aresult of this process IYLM has identified alternative housing but the relocation of households frominvaded land to alternative accommodation has yet to be finalised.In relation to Land Reform, Section 10 (1) (c) of Land and Assistance Act, 1993 (126 of 1993), as amended,provides that the Minister may, from money appropriated by parliament, on such conditions as she/hemay determine, grant an advance or subsidy to municipalities to acquire land to be used as a commonageor extent an existing commonage.Following from the above background it is suggested that the municipality should consider the followingissue:Identification and purchase of private agricultural land within the area of municipal jurisdictionfor commonage purposes;Identification of all state land (SADT farms, RSA farms and National Government of SA farms)within the area of municipal jurisdiction for redistribution purposes;Creation of mechanisms through which both commonage and land reform (LRAD projects inparticular) beneficiaries could access support such as provision of necessary farm infrastructure,training and capacity building, marketing and business development, and information andknowledge management; andEstablishment of leasehold or freehold small family farms (as opposed to large farms) to enhanceaccess and security of tenure to land for the majority of those who have interest in farming inorder to ensure secured and increased household food production and production for localmarkets.The Department of Land Affairs (DLA) has also stated that, “In terms of the policy framework documentfor the Land Redistribution for Agriculture Development (LRAD), it is crucial that municipalities shouldcreate mechanisms within its programmes to allow rural communities to express their needs for landreform (LRAD in particular), and to respond to these demands. It further provides that the localDepartment of Agriculture in collaboration with the District and Local Municipalities should ensure thecongruence of LRAD projects with the IDPs. DLA is expected to expand support services to emergingfarmers who are mainly characterised as being resource poor farmers. The services that are rendered bythe Department to farmers that are engaged primary in subsistence farming on communal land will alsocontinue to receive attention. The communal lands of the Province contribute significantly to the socialsafety net in food security and village survival strategies.60