1. Department of Rural Development and Land Reform
Presentation to the
Select Committee on Land and Environmental Affairs
on the
Rural Development and Land Reform
General Amendment Bill, 2010
[B ]
8 March 2011, Parliament, Cape Town

2. A total of 28 Acts were so specified.
In terms of Proclamation No. 44 of 1 July 2009, the President transferred the “… administration and powers and functions …” of specified legislation to the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform.
A total of 28 Acts were so specified.
The definitions of “Minister” in these Acts are outdated as they still refer to the -
Minister of Land Affairs;
Minister of Regional and Land Affairs;
Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs;
Minister “responsible for the planning profession”. 2

3. Similarly, the definitions of “Department” and “Director-General” are also outdated in most instances.
Therefore, to ensure legal certainty in respect of which Minister and Department are responsible for the administration of these Acts, the Bill contains various clauses aimed at amending the relevant definitions appropriately.
Where necessary, relevant expressions within the Acts are also to be amended to reflect the correct Minister, Department or Director-General. 3

4. There are a few references to other Ministers and Departments in these Acts and it is proposed to also amend those references appropriately. These are references to –
The Minister of National Education – now the Minister of Higher Education and Training;
The Minister of Agriculture – now the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries;
The Minister for Provincial Affairs and Constitutional Development – now the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
The relevant Departments were consulted and indicated their support for the proposed amendments. 4

5. An explanatory summary of the Bill was published in Gazette No of 3 Sept Requests for copies of the Bill were received from:
The Buffalo City Municipality;
the DA;
Loyiso Solethu (in personal capacity);
AgriSA; and
Mostert Opperman Inc (Attorneys).
No comments were submitted. 5

6. All amendments are therefore purely of a technical nature.
The proposed amendments have no financial or constitutional implications, and do not affect any customary law or the customs of traditional communities. 6

7. THANK YOU!