Imagine if, for some reason, a man or woman knocked on my door one day and, in a gesture of extreme goodwill, donated to me a tract of fertile land that was 50 hectares in extent.

“Paddy,” he or she says to me, “we are giving you this land and we want you to live on it and make it prosperous by farming it. You can keep all the profits for yourself and your family. And, if you need any help, we will help you.”

I would be humbled and extremely grateful. I would praise these people for their generosity. I would be moved by this spirit of Ubuntu and I would be determined to make it work. But then the reality would set in.

You see, what do I know about farming? What ability do I have to understand the nuances of making land productive? What are the ratios for fertilisers, nutrients and water? How much seed is needed and at what time of the year do you plant your crops?

Thousands of questions would surround me like raindrops from a Highveld thunderstorm.

If I was honest with myself – as I generally am – I would instantly recognise that while the spirit was willing, the ability was lacking. The closest I could get to farming is that of the “gentleman farmer” who strolls around the lands, with a pipe between his teeth, praising the people who do the actual work.

That’s the reality – because you don’t become a farmer by simply owning a piece of land. Any farmer will tell you that.

Scattered throughout the country there are agricultural colleges and universities offering degrees in agriculture and animal husbandry. Four years of intensive study to complete the most simple diploma or degree. More studying if you want to really understand the science of farming.

And, over the years, these colleges have produced some of the best and most productive farmers in Africa too. In fact, tracts of what we thought was unproductive land are now producing table grapes, good wine and fruits at Upington in an area that is too arid to grow crops.

That’s enterprise and education at work – and it’s a testimony to the ability of our farmers.

So is it really any surprise that nine out of ten farms given to individuals under the Government’s land reform programmes have failed? What on earth did the government expect when it handed over tracts of land to individuals or a community and told them to get on with it? “You’ve got the land, now make it work.”

Sure they might have provided some additional assistance: a couple of bags of fertiliser and seeds, access to finance to buy a tractor or whatever. But that’s not how you make a generation of farmers is it?

Does the government intend to change its modus operandi? Apparently not, as it is forging ahead with its land reforms and, worst of all, is not even paying the grants and deposits it has promised to pay.

The staggering statistics were released in Parliament this week in response to a question from the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti told Parliament that R3,4bn was owed in post-settlement grants for more than 380 cases. This, he warned, would lead to a change of land use on farms, a decline in crop production, an inability to maintain existing infrastructure, community conflicts and even land invasions.

How’s that for a government damning itself?

But that’s not all. Nkwinti also revealed that the government had bought 972,473 hectares of land for restitution purposes over the past three years in 1,300 individual deals, but it could not pay the requisite deposits because of a lack of funds to buy the land in the first place.

In some respects I think that’s even more damning evidence of utter incompetence.

Earlier this year the minister admitted that the target of redistributing 30% of the agricultural land back to black farmers by 2014 would simply not be achieved. And that’s when he told Parliament that nine out of 10 emerging farmers given land under the government’s land reform policy had failed to make a commercial success of their farmlands.

If you give someone land without giving them the training, the machinery, the fertilisers and seeds – and you don’t even pay their grants – is it surprising the land just rots?

You try popping along to the local co-operative (as an emerging black farmer) and saying: “Morning Sir, please give me the seeds and fertiliser I need for my farm. Also, I need a tractor and a plough. Oh, and enough diesel to plough the land too. While I’m at it, you better give me some wire fencing to keep others out. Oh, yes, and I need a new crop spraying device to keep my lands watered.”

“No problem, sir. Should I put it on you Diner’s Club or your Mastercard?”

Yeah, Right.

Amid all this nonsense, Nkwinti is now talking about introducing measures that will result in a three-tier system of land tenure.

Well, here’s what I suggest to you, Mr Minister: Don’t change the land tenure processes because they are not broken. Change the government and provincial officials who are responsible for all the non-payments.

Change the attitude of government that just by giving someone a piece of land you have done your duty. That’s not how farms are made – ask any successful farmer or any graduate of the many agricultural colleges.

Change your processes of buying land that you can’t afford to pay for because there is no money left in your budget.

That’s what needs to change.

July is Moral Regeneration Month: So put that in your pipe and smoke it. And next time you (or one of your many officials) put in an offer to buy some land, make sure that your word is your bond. That’s the morally correct way to tackle such a deal.

And, if you promise farmers that they will get their grants to make their land productive, then stick to your word.

Don’t hide behind these excuses that you proffered to Parliament that your Ministry was not responsible for the actual payment but used “an acting agent” – most likely the local municipality – and it was them, not you or your officials who had failed to make the payments.

That’s a lot of hogwash.

If you (or one of your officials) undertook to do something then you are responsible. No-one else. And you must make sure that if you say you are going to do something then you will do it.

Not make useless excuses for why you haven’t done it.

Because excuses are just lies.

*Paddy Hartdegen writes a regular column for Property24.com. The content of his columns constitutes his personal opinion and doesn’t pretend to be facts or advice. Contact him at paddy@neomail.co.za.

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The big question is still, what happened to the millions of hectares that were part of the TBVC states? – Fanie Naude

This is what we have been saying all along if only we could all see the writing on the wall. – Lorna (farmer in the Free State)