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Onbehoorlike Regeringsinmenging met Waterregverhandeling onaanvaarbaar vir Agri SA

AGRI SA OBJECTS TO UNDUE GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE IN SALE OF WATER RIGHTS
 

20 November 2008

Onbehoorlike Regeringsinmenging met Waterregverhandeling onaanvaarbaar vir Agri SA
‘n Afvaardiging van Agri SA onder leiding van sy president, Mnr Johannes Möller het gister met DWAF (Departement van Waterwese en Bosbou) vergader ten einde dié Departement se blokkering van die verhandeling van watergebruiksregte te bespreek. DWAF is onder andere verteenwoordig deur Dr Sizwe Mkhize, Adjunk Direkteur-generaal en Me Deborah Mochotlhi, Hoofdirekteur: Watergebruik. Volgens Mnr Möller was hierdie gesprek dringend noodsaaklik aangesien daar tans meer as honderd gevalle landwyd is waar boere nie toegelaat word om watergebruiksregte te verhandel nie.
Hy het daarop gewys dat hierdie verhandeling, gegewe die skaarsheid van water in Suid-Afrika, vanselfsprekend nodig is om die beste ekonomiese aanwending daarvan te verseker.  “Dit is ondenkbaar dat waterregte wat in die meerderheid van gevalle deur boere gekoop is nie verkoop mag word binne die markmeganisme wat die beste aanwending daarvan sal verseker nie”, het hy gesê. Volgens Mnr Möller staan DWAF die vrye verhandeling van waterregte teen op grond van die Waterwet wat waterreghervorming vereis en meer spesifiek Artikel 27 van dié Wet wat verwys na die noodsaak om diskriminasie van die verlede reg te stel. Dit geskied terwyl die Watertribunaal reeds bepaalde gevalle in hierdie verband oorweeg en die gepaardgaande verhandeling in terme van Artikel 25 van die Wet goedgekeur het.
Möller is van mening dat die landbou se swart ekonomiese bemagtigingshandves (SEB-handves) wat in Maart vanjaar gepubliseer is, volledig met hierdie aangeleentheid kan handel en dat DWAF soos wat tans die geval is, nie hulle eie SEB-voorskrifte moet uitreik nie.  “Die riglyne wat van DWAF verkry is, is na ons mening totaal uit lyn uit met die algemene voorskrifte van die SEB-wet en ook met die generiese praktykkodes wat in Februarie 2007 uitgereik is,” het hy gesê.  Volgens hom moet daar deur middel van ‘n SEB-handvesraad eie praktykkodes vir die landbou ontwikkel word en daar is ook aan DWAF uitgewys dat hulle politieke mandaat volledig hierin opgeneem kan word.

Daar kon tydens die samesprekings nie ‘n volledige ooreenkoms met DWAF bereik word nie. Volgens Mnr Möller is daar egter ooreengekom oor die volgende:

·           Die aansoeke vir waterregverhandeling wat steeds nie hanteer is nie sal binne die konteks van bestaande SEB-wetgewing evalueer word in ‘n poging om dit spoedeisend af te handel.

·           Daar sal in werkgroepverband aandag geskenk word aan metodes om waterreghervorming as deel van die landbou SEB-handves te hanteer.

·           Daar sal met behulp van ‘n gevallestudie aangetoon word in welke mate besproeiingsboerderye reeds bydra tot SEB-doelwitte en met behulp hiervan sal riglyne vir die toekomstige hantering van waterregverhandeling ontwikkel word.

Möller het gesê dat die vergadering dui op beperkte vordering en dat die regsopsie steeds ‘n wesenlike moontlikheid bly as daar nie met voorvermelde ooreenkoms sinvol gevorder word nie.

Uitgereik deur Direktoraat:  Korporatiewe Skakeling

Navrae:          Mnr Johannes Möller, Agri SA President,  082 647 8481

                        Johan Pienaar, Adjunk Uitvoerende Direkteur, 082 388 0006

AGRI SA OBJECTS TO UNDUE GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE IN SALE OF WATER RIGHTS

An Agri SA delegation led by its president, Mr Johannes Möller, met yesterday with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) to discuss the department’s interference with trade in water use rights.  DWAF was represented by, among others, Dr Sizwe Mkhize, the Deputy Director-General, and Ms Deborah Mochotlhi, Chief Director: Water Use.  According to Mr Möller, this discussion was urgent as there are at present more than 100 cases countrywide where farmers are not allowed to sell their water rights.

He pointed out that given the water scarcity in South Africa, such trading was clearly necessary to ensure the most economic use of water.  “It is unthinkable that water rights, which in most cases were purchased by farmers, may not be sold within the market mechanism which would ensure the best utilisation thereof,” he said. According to Mr Möller, DWAF was opposing free trade in water rights based on the Water Act, which advocates the need for rights reform, and more specifically section 27 of this Act, which refers to the need to address discrimination of the past.  This takes place while the Water Tribunal had already considered certain cases in this regard, and has approved such trade in terms of section 25 of the Act.

Möller was of the opinion that agriculture’s black economic empowerment charter (BEE Charter) published in March this year, could deal fully with this matter and that DWAF should not, as is currently the case, issue their own BEE prescripts. “The guidelines obtained from DWAF are, in our opinion, totally incompatible with the general provisions of the BEE Act and also with the generic codes of good practice issued in February 2007,” he said.  According to Möller, unique codes of good practice should be developed for agriculture via a BEE Charter Council, and the DWAF had also been informed that their political mandate could be fully incorporated therein.

During discussions full agreement could not be reached with the DWAF.  According to Mr Möller, however, agreement was reached on the following:

·           Applications for trade in water right that have not yet been processed, would be evaluated within the context of existing BEE legislation with a view to urgent finalisation.

·           Attention would be given within working group context to methods whereby water rights reform could be dealt with as part of agriculture’s BEE Charter.

·           With the help of a case study, the extent to which irrigation farmers already contribute to BEE objectives would be quantified, and guidelines would be developed accordingly for future trade in water rights.

Möller said the meeting was indicative of the lack of progress made and that the legal option remained a possibility should no meaningful progress be made with the aforementioned agreement.

Issued by the Directorate: Corporate Liaison

Enquiries:     Mr Johannes Möller, Agri SA President,  082 647 8481

                        Mr Johan Pienaar, Deputy Executive Director, 082 388 0006

Thea Liebenberg
Mediaskakelbeampte / Media Liaison Officer
Tel:  012-300 9500 
Sel:  082 388 0008
Fax:  012-320 0557
e-mail:  thea@agrisa.co.za

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