Date: 14/03/2005
Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Land Affairs
Title: du Toit: National African Farmers Union Summit

Address by Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs, Adv Dirk du Toit, National African Farmers Union Summit

14 March 2005


Mr Matlala, President of NAFU
Members of the NAFU Executive
Honoured guests
Ladies and gentlemen

You may recall that in 1998 the then Deputy President, Mr Thabo Mbeki delivered his two nations speech during a Parliamentary debate on reconciliation, noting that South Africa consisted of two unequal nations, one with access to a developed economy, education and infrastructure and another, larger in proportion and poor with the worst affected being women in the rural areas. This nation lived under conditions of gross underdevelopment in terms of the economy, education and infrastructure. This latter nation was ill equipped to exercise its right to equal opportunities.

We are now into our eleventh year of democracy and much has been achieved by Government towards improving the conditions of both these economies. I would like to draw from President Mbekis State of the Nation Address on 14 February this year to highlight some of the these achievements and to underline the key challenges that lie ahead for us, in particular for the agriculture sector.

At the centre of South Africas recent achievements is the success we have had in moving away from our divided past towards the vision contained in the Freedom Charter that ,