The Department of Agriculture Rural Development and Land Reform has been without a Leader for some time, to be specific, since the departure of Mr Mdu Shabane last October 2020.
I believe there are many people in and outside the industry who have views on how this Department must and should be run.
Many of us consider this department as an economic or business department – if you like – which must serve all farmers irrespective of political affiliations, let alone colour. The difficulty, unfortunately, is there are many Farmer Unions in the Country.
I sometimes wonder how the department manages to listen to all of these Unions. Maybe there must be a Law which regulates the farmer unions, to really impress on all these Unions to look at one big Union or a Federation for the benefit of all.
The time for Black and White Unions are over. Capacity must come, and it must come fast, with emphasis on youth.
Genuine transformation is one area that requires speedy attention. The failure of Agri-BEE in the sector can be used as evidence
In our view, the department has done well to an extent. We think the arrival of Mr Ramasodi as the Accounting Officer will hopefully get rid of politics in the industry and redirect the department towards a more business-like enterprise because really, a farmers’ business is to produce food for everyone.
This part and many other challenges are going to be Mr Ramasodi’s headache. However, with the support by all farmers and stakeholders, I think everyone will win through his experience and proven leadership.
Africa is open for business, through Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement, which creates a single market for goods and services. Surely the farmers of this country can no longer afford divisions.
We want to join our colleagues in welcoming and congratulating Ntate Ramasodi on his promotion.
Article by: Mr Motsepe Matlala
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Mzansi Agriculture Talk.
