Government is moving in full speed to settle all 68 000 outstanding land claims by 2005, says Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Thoko Didiza.

Minister Didiza said government has now settled about 42 000 land claims and it was just a matter of time before finalises all 68 000 claims lodged since the advent of democracy in 1994.

"With regard to land restitution I would say we are indeed moving. We hope that if everything goes well, we will meet the target of 2005," she said.

"To this date, we have already settled about 42 000 restitutions claims out of 68 000 that were lodged. So I think the figure itself is indicative of how far we have moved in that regard," said minister Didiza. The minister was speaking during the Presidential Commercial Agriculture Working Group Indaba in Pretoria yesterday.

The Indaba was convened to look at the implementation of the agriculture sector plan and the draft land acquisition strategy. The working group is made up of Cabinet Ministers for land affairs, trade and industry, safety and security and Finance, leaders of Agri SA, and the National Agricultural Farmers Union (Nafu). Minister Didiza said the department was making progress on its plan to redistribute 30 percent of arable land to black farmer by 2015 but added that there ware a number of other factors on which the process depended.

She said government was making sure that when land is delivered, there's support so as farmers or landowners could sustain their land. The group agreed, however, that land redistribution needed to be accelerated and that issues of land prices and farmer support are central. To date 450 000 ha of land have been distributed through the Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development programme. Nafu's Deputy President Motsepe Matlala expressed confidence that commitment from all parties to have 30 percent of commercial land to black farmers would not result in the destabilisation of agriculture in the country, as it's the backbone to provide food to all South Africans. "We are very excited by their (white farmers) support of government programmes that would ensure that 30% of land it's in the hands of black people by 2015," he said.

"This is very fundamental shift towards growth potential in agriculture because if the commercial farmers go a different road it will be disastrous in terms of economic growth in South Africa," said Matlala. – BuaNews.