1. Editorial

2. Planning should lead to improved land delivery - Didiza

3. President notes progress in social backlogs

4. Ensure that SA citizenry is empowered - Lebethe

5. Kate leaves illustrious career

6. Oupa from humble beginnings

7. Maureen volenteers her services

8. Umtata office not serving with remote control

9. Intense puiblicity to boost inquiries at Call Centre

10. Subsistance and travelling tax implications

11. Fellowship providing healing

14. Letter to soccer lovers

15. "AmaGents" victorious in tribute to Kate

16. National Office runners agree to run in all races

17. A confession from behind

18. Nothing for us, without us

19. The Tired Mind

20. CD competition

Editorial

When President Thabo Mbeki declared 2002 the Year of the Volunteer for Reconstruction and Development I agreed with him wholeheartedly. This was a national call to all of us in all corners of South Africa. When translated this call means, among others that people have to offer their skills without compensation wherever they are needed.

From what I hear there is a programme that has been adopted. Each month there will be a focus on a specific responsibility. This is happening in schools and police stations throughout the country. I think the following explanation captures the significance of the call very well. In each month the programme will be: " … focusing on a different area of South African life, organising and participating in local activities which make a positive difference to the lives of the people. These activities are not intended to be a 'once off ' effort, but part of a programme which communities can sustain. This effort aims to contribute to a culture of community service and development throughout the country".

For me the most beautiful part of the explanation is when it says, "The spirit of selfless service underpins the campaign for 2002".

This is not the first time that a call like this has been made. I am not going to dwell on the past but it is proper to mention that those who have been volunteers in the past are today held in high esteem. The respect that is accorded to them compels one to admire them. I am not implying that by answering the president's call people will be put on higher pedestals. Some of the greatest people in our communities are those who have a low profile, while their giant steps make a great difference in the lives of others. Sometimes they are called unsung heroes.

It is easy to say I agreed wholeheartedly with the President's call. Now the question is what have I done? Nothing. What attempts have I made in trying to be involved with this programme even if I have not done anything? Nothing. But I must be honest that I have thought of assisting at the Skinner Street Clinic here in Pretoria with drawing out files for patients who flock it. The stumbling block has been that their times for opening and closing coincide with my work programmes, even though it is common for me to work sometimes during week-ends and on ungodly hours.

Then, does not my wholehearted agreement with the President's call now not sound hollow? The question includes my excuses for not volunteering my services at the Skinner Street Clinic. Pretoria is a vast town. No-one can tell me that I cannot find something else to do in this town. I am sure I can even be a godfather for that matter. It must also be clear that the onus to find it rests solely on me. Nobody else. I am not exactly sure how the saying goes, but it is nearer to this: "Actions speak louder than words".

Perhaps one may be wondering why have I  preferred to use this approach when dealing with this matter. The reason is simple. A person preferring to act rather than only thinking and doing nothing touched my conscience. To be exact, where I work somebody unemployed, offered her services when there was a crisis. To think of it, the lady began what she is doing here now while she was still at school at other places. To me she is an unsung heroine, not because she has offered her skills to my Department, simply because what she is doing is great. How I wish I could emulate her.

Consider along the way coming across a snake's egg and then deciding to keep it until it hatches. One can groom the little thing and teach it human behaviour; it will never change, but remain dangerous. Do not be surprised when one day it decides to bite and therefore kills. Do the two-legged snakes behave in a similar fashion too? They are snakes, their legs do not change them to being something else and trusting them will be a grievous mistake. Surely no human has nine lives. This means that the life that is there has to be protected at all costs, especially against snakes.

When people you work with share your heartfelt pain, you know that you have brothers and sisters. Then, when those who manage you behave in a similar manner, you know you have an extended family that you can rely on. May the spirit of togetherness always exist in the DLA.

In the strategic planning session of the management of the Department of Land Affairs in February 2002, because of her absence due to earlier commitments, Minister Thoko Didiza's address was read on her behalf. Hereunder is an edited version of the Minister's address.

I am confident that this planning exercise will be successful, and that this should lead to improvement in the pace of delivery by the DLA. Although I am not physically with you this evening, I still felt it would be useful to communicate with you in this manner and take the opportunity to outline some of the key strategic issues that I would like the Department to consider and incorporate into its plans. I would also like to take this opportunity to raise areas of concern, which I want the Department to address much more effectively during the course of the coming financial year.

We have a clear mandate to deliver land through the various land reform programmes that the Department is charged with implementing. One appreciates the good progress made in the implementation of the Restitution Programme. The figures speak for themselves in demonstrating that the Restitution Programme has truly turned the corner. The past year has seen not only a remarkably high increase in the number of claims that have been processed, the quality of restitution settlements is also improving. This is demonstrated by the fact that an increasing number of rural claimants who are also the poorest and marginalised, have benefited and have obtained agricultural land of good quality.

The number of settled claims now stands at 32 000 out of a total of 68 878 claims that have been lodged. This situation is set to improve even more from around June this year upon completion of the validation programme. The fact that the pace of settlement of claims has now overtaken the budget that is available for the Restitution Programme is also acknowledged, and steps have been undertaken to have the matter addressed through the Department of National Treasury and Cabinet. One is hopeful that these initiatives will bear fruit.

One is certainly not at ease in acknowledging that during the previous financial year we missed our targets that had been set in respect of the disposal of State land. To say the least, this has compromised our image at various levels, including our clients.

Since it has been indicated to me that lack of capacity is one of the major problems in this regard, we must then find creative ways of building that capacity in order to ensure more effective implementation of the State Land Disposal Programme. I also expect senior management as well as project staff of the Department to work closely with other Departments that have a role to play in this programme, in order to resolve problematic issues around institutional arrangements and inter-departmental co-operation and co-ordination.

We equally need to ensure that we come up with realistic and achievable targets. In doing so we must be clearly informed by what we have in terms of our respective budgets and what we depict in our operational plans.

I am happy that the LRAD programme, launched in August last year is now gaining momentum. I would like us to be more precise in terms of providing resources and setting targets for the implementation of the programme over the next three years, in order to enhance its coverage and impact. Equally, we must manage, monitor and evaluate expenditure trends on such programmes much more closely and effectively. Our performance is judged by the quality and quantity of the projects we implement. Clearly, if we do not make accurate forecasts we will find ourselves pushing up figures in a manner that compromises quality.

We have now committed ourselves to a rapid land release programme to make land available for housing purposes. I appreciate the fact that our Department has now established a close working relationship with the Department of Housing. I am happy that senior managers from the Department of Housing have attended this planning workshop, as this should foster a higher level of understanding of the challenges and constraints that our Department is facing; but, also importantly, their presence should contribute positively towards the process of finding sustainable solutions for identifying land for housing purposes (both state and private land) and for providing the necessary resources in this regard. It is therefore crucial for the Department, in close collaboration with the Department of Housing, to set targets for the Land for Housing Sub-Programme. These targets must be realistic and achievable.

I am also pleased that during this financial year the Department has made a significant contribution towards the Urban Renewal Programme, by:

• Committing R8 million for expenditure towards land purchase in the flooded areas of the Cape Flats
• Providing land for the Alexandra Urban Renewal Project through the purchase of the farm Bram Fischerville

Our challenge now is to widen the scope of our contribution towards the URP by making more or less similar contributions to other priority areas such as Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape, KwaMashu in KwaZulu/Natal and in the nodal areas that have been identified in other provinces.

Our greatest overall challenge remains the Tenure Reform Programme. This is because, unlike with the other land reform programmes and sub-programmes, the tenure reform programme has yet to move firmly from the policy and legislative stage into implementation. Now that we have gone through the process of the National Land Tenure Conference and we are busy developing the Communal Land Rights Bill, we need to begin to position ourselves for the implementation of this programme on a large scale. This workshop must give clear indicators in this regard.

Towards this end, I expect the Department to address all institutional and resource issues in good time and to map out a clear programme for delivery. Further consultations with the various stakeholders must occur, but they must not dampen nor restrict our endeavours to succeed in implementing what is actually the most important of our programmes in terms of rural development.

As I have said on previous occasions, the Tenure Reform Programme is of critical strategic importance to the success of the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme (ISRDP). Our planning for this programme must therefore take on board and must be intertwined with the planning process that is taking place on a national scale in respect of the ISRDP nodes. Having said this, however, one must emphasise that we clearly cannot afford further unnecessary delays in rolling out this programme, and I therefore call upon the Department to now move decisively from planning into action.

One of the key issues that were debated at the conference last November concerns the broad area of land administration in communal areas, and the roles that are envisaged to be played by various stakeholders, including traditional authorities and the communities themselves. We need to ensure that, by the time the Communal Land Rights Bill is ready for publication to elicit comments from stakeholders and interested parties, we will have done our homework. In other words, I would like the Department to present me with a set of clear policy proposals on issues such as Land Rights Boards, the role and positioning of existing Provincial land administration structures, and most importantly, on the role of traditional authorities.

Another key performance area of our Department is Spatial Planning and Information. One appreciates the work that has been done by the Branch in formulating the White Paper on Planning, the Land Use Management Bill and the Spatial Information Bill. This legislative framework will make it possible for the government at all levels to develop spatial development frameworks, co-ordinate and integrate land use planning, and to undertake vacant land analysis in order to determine the suitability of land for various uses. The overall aim of these activities is to redress the legacy of apartheid settlement patterns.

Given this challenge in the spatial planning function, one would like the Land Planning and Information Branch to take the lead and effectively perform its task of co-ordinating the planning processes at all spheres of government. Here again capacity has been highlighted as a major constraint, and one thus expects the Department to address this issue more effectively.

The progress and work done by Surveys and Mapping, and Cadastral Surveys in fulfilling their mandate is also appreciated. However, one must stress that one is not entirely satisfied that these components are doing enough to support land reform programmes. For example, these components are not visible in all the provinces, which restricts access to them by the public as well as staff from the various land reform components. This problem must be addressed creatively in line with the decentralisation programme of the Department.

With regard to the Deeds Registry function, the initiative of introducing the e-DRS and the Deeds Website are acknowledged. However, there is an urgent need to review the existing legislation comprehensively. Quite clearly, at present access to the facilities that are available is severely restricted, as the Deeds Offices are not located in all provinces. This is contrary to the spirit and letter of our Constitution. Secondly, Deeds Offices must give more support to land reform in general. All this requires the review and amendment of the relevant legislation. One also acknowledges the progress made in the area of financial and human resource management and in particular the decentralisation programme.

Finally, I must emphasize to the Department that the successful implementation of government programmes, without exception, depends critically on our integrated and co-ordinated efforts across departments operating through the various clusters. The Department must clearly show its commitment towards achieving integrated development and this can only be achieved through meaningful participation in such structures. Those organs must inform me that indeed we add value to this notion amidst other responsibilities bestowed upon us.

Our role in the social sector cluster primarily, and also in all other clusters is therefore critical and we need to increase and improve the quality of our inputs. Apart from the obvious case of the Economic Cluster, one can give two other examples of key activities in which the Department must increase its participation through the Clusters, namely:

• The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), which is being co-ordinated through the Presidency and forms part of the core business of International Relations and Security Cluster. Towards this end, one has tasked the Director-General to establish an International Desk within the Department.

• It is also important for us to make our input into the deliberations of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPS) so that we can ensure that illegal acts perpetrated against farm workers, farm dwellers and labour tenants as well as illegal land occupations are effectively addressed.

Once again, I wish you all the success in your endeavours. It is my sincerest hope that the product of this workshop shall further enhance the objectives of the government by making a significant contribution to ensuring a better life for our clients.

I thank you.

During his State of the Nation Address delivered in Parliament on 8 February 2002, the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Thabo Mbeki, noted the progress being made in our country towards addressing the social backlogs inherited from the apartheid past. The President cited, among a number of other indicators in this regard, the fact that:

"…. 444 000 hectares [of land] had been redistributed in the land reform programme in the five years to the end of 1998; in the three years since then, the number has increased to 600 000 hectares, bringing the total to over 1-million hectares. The pace has dramatically increased in the case of land restitution, with 48 claims settled at the end of 1998; while by the end of 2001 the total number of settlements has increased to 29 000".

He added: "We intend, within the next three years, to complete the land restitution process, which is a critical part of our land reform programmes".

As you will agree with me, I am sure, the words of the President invoke feelings of both joy at the recognition at such a high level of the contribution that we are making as a Department and the Land Claims Commission to the process of socio-economic change in our country, and to trepidation arising from our knowledge of the nature of the challenges that lie ahead. But overall, the President has put us both in the limelight and on the spotlight. I leave to your own imagination what this means to us in the year ahead.

The Department of Land Affairs has now established a firm foundation for its planning processes. Having gone through an entire year during which we have tested the Strategic Plan that we put together for the 2001/2002 financial year, what remains for us to do now is to refine and improve on the previous plan at the levels of both its formulation and implementation.

As I have indicated during the past three EXCO meetings, the performance of the Department since we have had our Strategic Plan in place has under the prevailing circumstances been generally of an acceptable standard. While there is a lot of room for improvement in respect of virtually all our functional components, as we are all aware, and as the Minister has articulated so clearly in her opening address, the greatest challenges are to be found in the area of land reform.

Two critical issues have been raised as possible constraints to effective delivery during the current financial year, namely lack of capacity and "unrealistic" targets and time frames. It is important that we interrogate these two issues thoroughly as we go through our paces of formulating the Strategic Plan for the next four-year period.

In other words, we would be failing in our duty as senior managers if we were to argue that we are unable to discharge our mandate because of lack of capacity. An important part of our work is precisely to find ways and means and to take effective steps aimed at addressing such issues. Similarly, the targets and time frames that we set can never be realistic unless and until we begin to effectively address the issue of capacity. Thus, it is unacceptable that we should proclaim that the targets set by our Minister and indeed by Cabinet are unachievable because we lack the capacity to deliver on those targets, yet we do not do much to address the problem.

I therefore instruct all our Chief Directorates as follows: each functional component must present to me not later than 30 days from today a comprehensive proposal for the improvement of capacity with its structures, including any proposed new posts. This is intended to ensure that none of our components will complain of lack of capacity to deliver on the targets that we are going to set during the course of this workshop.

We operate on the basis of a mandate that comes in the form of clear Constitutional, legislative and policy injunctions and directives. Our mandate is largely a funded mandate through the budget that is allocated to our Department.

One is very pleased that our strategic planning process now complies fully with the provisions of the Public Service Act, 1984, as amended, as well as with the Public Finance Management Act, 1 of 2000.

• We have certainly eliminated the flaws in our planning system that we agreed at the EXCO meeting held on 26 May 2000 needed to be rectified.
• We have clear and crisp vision and mission statements that accommodate all our line function responsibilities and also encapsulate the challenge of social and economic development.
• Our strategic planning is now aligned to policy frameworks that guide our work, as underpinned in the new policy direction statement issued by the Minister in February 2000.
• We have endeavoured to accommodate in our strategic planning processes new policy developments such as the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme (ISRDP) and the Urban Renewal Programme (URP).
• We have articulated clear outputs and aligned them to resources that are available within the Department (both material and particularly financial, as well as human), and we have attempted to link these to the MTEF cycle.
• We have set clear delivery targets in relation to each of the key outputs set by the various Chief Directorates, as well as time frames that are realistic and therefore achievable.
• We have also ensured that the key outputs are measurable and their implementation can therefore be effectively monitored.

This approach does not only comply fully with the requirements of the PSA Act and Regulations as well as with the PFMA and Treasury Regulations, it also provides a dynamic mechanism for the effective management of the performance of the Department as a whole.

Performance management remains the one critical area where we need to seriously improve. Whilst it is true that the 2001/2002 financial year was largely devoted to a process of learning in this regard, we cannot afford to remain where we are even in the coming financial year. Yes, indeed, we succeeded to a large extent in crafting our performance agreements in such a way that they reflected the key outputs as set out in the strategic plan. Yes, we tried to extend this system of the PPMS work plans of all other staff members. And one must acknowledge the fact that on paper we almost got everything right, but in practice we have not yet implemented the inter-linked, multi-layered and well-synchronised performance management system that we had envisaged during the planning process in March last year.

We have struggled a great deal to effect the kind of monitoring and evaluation of performance that we had undertaken to implement. Our reporting processes started very erratically, but gradually improved from the second quarter onwards. This has made it virtually impossible to utilise the Balanced Scorecard during all previous three quarters; and one now hopes we can produce a scorecard depicting our overall performance as a department at the end of the financial year.

Having highlighted the above, I must say we are nevertheless on track towards implementing the advanced performance management system to which we have committed ourselves.

In more or less similar fashion as last year, the planning process of the Department must be informed by the following policy documents and statements:

• Policy direction from the Minister as articulated in the document entitled: Policy Statement by the Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs for Strategic Directions on Land Issues, issued in February 2000.
• Speech by the President on the occasion of the opening of Parliament on 8 February 2002.
• Action Plan of the January 2002 Cabinet Lekgotla for the Social Sector Cluster.
• Relevant laws and regulations.
• Strategic organisational and programme priorities as contained in the opening address by the Minister to the Strategic Planning Workshop of 10-13 February 2002.

The Cabinet Lekgotla held last week identified a number of areas of integration across departments. In the following key areas:

• There is a need for an integrated governance and planning system. The Presidency is working on this and a document has been distributed to the various departments and will be presented to Cabinet shortly. This integrated planning system entails not only stricter adherence to he MTEF planning cycle, but if factors in the need for integrated policy analysis and prioritisation. It also calls for the closer integration of the work undertaken by the Departmental Clusters and individual departments through integrated planning systems to guide operational work.
• A National HRD strategy has been formulated under the leadership of the Ministers of Education and Labour and will be launched during the course of this year. The draft HRD strategy calls for a range of interventions aimed at improving the supply of skills and increasing employer participation in lifelong learning. It also advocates, inter alia, the expansion of the capacity of government in the fields of research and innovation, build a partnership with science and industry in order to increase scarce skills.
• Through the input of the Economic Cluster, the Lekgotla placed greater emphasis on improving the capacity to deliver in the key policy areas of SMME development and BEE.
• The Social Sector Cluster, which is the principal sector of which our Department is a member, placed emphasis on poverty alleviation, increased delivery of land and housing, as well as land for housing, health and social security, the ISRDP and the URP.
• The Presidency also gave a presentation on current efforts to introduce an improved government communications framework. In this regard, it was emphasised that departments should to appoint communications specialists at Chief Director level.
• Efforts to give impetus to the process of African economic development, principally through the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). This programme is a major priority of the government and its importance is set to increase. All departments, without exception, are expected to make an input, especially when the implementation process begins.
• The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), to be held in Johannesburg from 24 August to 4 September is another high priority that is taken very seriously. The importance of the WSSD does not lie only in the fact that we are the host country, but in its potential for engendering a genuine process of renewal and sustainable development, especially in Africa. The preparatory work that is being done through the agency of the IMC, in which our Minister and Department are participating, has been of a high standard. It is anticipated that land and environmental issues will be of central importance during the Summit, and our Department is thus called upon to play an important role in helping to shape the African position in this regard in preparation for the Summit.
• In the area of foreign relations, our Department is expected to increase its role within SADC, and towards this end our Minister has given the instruction that we must create an international desk to deal with issues related to both SADC and NEPAD.

The key strategic focus areas for our strategic planning exercise are guided by the above-mentioned policy framework as well as by new priorities that the Minister has articulated in her opening address to this workshop. The key strategic focus areas for the current planning cycle are inter alia the following:

• The need to improve delivery in the area of the disposal of State land. As the Minister has stated clearly, the targets set the previous financial year in this regard have been missed, and that institutional and capacity problems have impinged negatively on the effective implementation of the programme. The Minister has instructed our Department to address these issues in our plan.
• More adequate resourcing of the Restitution Programme, so that the funding of this programme can keep up with the heightened pace of delivery.
• The need to be more precise in terms of resources and in setting targets for the LRAD sub-programme over the next three years, in order to enhance its coverage and impact.
• The need to make adequate provision in our plan for the Land for Housing sub-programme, and, together with the Department of Housing, to make adequate provision in this regard in terms of resources.
• The need to widen the scope of our contribution to the Urban Renewal Programme to cover the URP priority areas such as Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape, KwaMashu in KwaZulu/Natal, Galeshewe in the Northern Cape, and in the nodal areas that have been identified in other provinces.
• The need to rise to the challenge of tenure reform, which remains our major challenge in terms of our contribution to rural development. In this regard the Department is expected to address all institutional and resource issues in good time; conduct and finalise consultations with stakeholders on the Communal Land Rights Bill; ensure that our planning processes for the Tenure Reform Programme take on board and are intertwined with the planning that is taking place on a national scale in respect of the ISRDP nodes; address the issue of land administration and in this regard present concrete proposals on such issues as Land Rights Boards, the role and positioning of existing Provincial land administration structures, and the role of traditional authorities.
• Continued targeting of vulnerable groups such as labour tenants, farm workers and landless communities for resettlement within the context of the LRAD or the settlement programme.
• With regard to the other key performance area of Spatial Planning and Information, we must take the lead and effectively perform our task of co-ordinating the planning processes at all spheres of government. The capacity constraints that have been highlighted in this regard must be addressed.
• The process of reviewing legislation applicable to the Deeds Registry function must be speeded up and priority must be given to ensuring that this function makes a greater contribution to land reform and Deeds Registry facilities are made available to citizens on a more equitable basis.
• Greater alignment of the functions of Deeds and Surveys, Cadastral Surveys as well as Surveys and Mapping, to land reform programmes, particularly tenure reform.
• Improvement of the quality of our projects by ensuring tighter integration of delivery processes within our Department and between our Department and other departments.
• Greater participation of our Department in the various FOSAD Clusters and in particular to increase our role in the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) programme, in SADC, and in justice and crime prevention, through participation in the relevant Clusters.
• Improvement and alignment of financial and human resource management systems in order to enhance performance and delivery.
• Improvement of our overall expenditure performance, particularly in land reform delivery, to the extent of at least 90% of our budget or above.
• Broadening of the scope and increase in the pace of the implementation of Project Mutingati.
• Improvement of our communications, both internally and externally, placing greater emphasis on our clients and the media.

The current strategic planning process will focus largely on the articulation of key Departmental outcomes and outputs drawn from the policy framework highlighted above, the key strategic focus areas as articulated by the Minister, as well as existing generic and on-going programmes.

As soon as Ministerial approval for the departmental strategic plan is obtained, will be distributed to all members of staff. It may be necessary for the various functional components to conduct internal workshops to familiarise their members with the strategic plan. Performance agreements, PPMS work plans and reporting systems must then be put in place and finalised during the course of the month of March 2002. The plan will come into operation with effect from 1 April 2002.

As I observed during the EXCO meeting of 29 January 2002, the trend of delivery is beginning to look promising. What now remains is to increase its scale and pace. I am confident that we have got what it takes to rise to this challenge.

I thank you.

It is my greatest pleasure to welcome you here this morning on our very first meeting for the year 2002. We meet here today to plan ahead for the year 2002/2003. Although somewhat late into the year I think it is proper to wish you well and hope that this year brings us all good health so that we could work harder and well.

As we begin the year 2002 we take our cue from the State of the Nation Address by our President, the Minister’s speech at the opening of the departmental strategic workshop in Warmbaths, the Director-General’s opening remarks at EXCO and the speech of the Chief Executive Officer of Government Communication and Information System, Mr Joel Netshitendze at the Government Communicators Forum on the 7^th March 2002. All those addresses plot the way that we as government communicators ought to follow.

First of all we are reminded of the urgency with which we need to fulfil our responsibilities and secondly we are reminded of the excellence which needs to accompany the effort to do so. According to Helen Keller "one cannot consent to creep when one feels the urge to soar". Our task is to ensure that the South African citizenry is empowered with the necessary information to enable them to claim their rights and to take informed decisions about their lives.

We have in the palms of our hands the information so dearly needed by rural communities, which concerns their rights to secure tenure in land, their rights to ownership of land including opportunities via the different projects land reform offers "to create a better life" for themselves and their families. The challenge is how urgent is it for you and me to make sure that that information reaches them wherever they are, as clear and simple as possible and fast.

Our mandate as Land Affairs is spot-on with regards to the maxim of "pushing back the frontiers of poverty". The main idea is for us to capture and have the sense of urgency with regards to our task as facilitators in this trail of events towards making South Africa a better place to live in. We need to start being creative and forming liaisons with each and every partner that has an interest in disseminating information about rights in land or access to land. We are also encouraged to work closer with other departments, all tiers of government, non-governmental institutions, civic society bodies and churches.

We all know that the criticism that is leveled at the government particularly at land reform is the slow pace of delivery coupled with being unable to spend all our budgets. The department therefore is marshalling us to have operational plans which must have target dates and budgets which we will be expected to adhere to and report accordingly each quarter at EXCO. This discipline will assist us to fulfil our mandates adhering to our operational plans. The attempt will therefore be for this meeting to look at what is expected of us as DLA communicators.

There will be presentations on each attribute of the proposed plan just to guide us and each one of us will be expected to interpret as it would affect us wherever we are operating. Gathered here today we would like to accentuate our similarities yet recognise our differences regarding our areas of operation. The key to succeed in being effective in what we plan to do will depend on how best we design our strategies and adhere to our plans.

I thank you.

Catherine Kate Matamela may be no more, but in her short time with the DLA she has had an illustrious career. She joined the Department in 1999 on contract, but ended up being permanently appointed in 2001.

The Department's Chief Financial Officer, Ms Sarah Choane at her funeral said the Department of Land Affairs lost a dedicated and loyal employee, who was always willing to go the extra mile in executing her duties. She described the day as a sad one indicating that the DLA staff was saying goodbye for the last time to a loyal servant of the public and a dear friend.

Ms Choane said she can personally attest to fact that because when she was fairly new in the Department, Kate relieved Dorah Dikgale who was her secretary at that time when she had to go off for her studies. She said because Kate had positive attributes, she took the challenge of acting as her secretary with great strides.

"Those of us who knew her, remember her skills as an administrator and dedication to service excellence. She executed her duties with a great deal of commitment, efficiency and enthusiasm. She performed all tasks accurately and with speed… It was therefore not surprising that in 2000 she was granted a salary progression and a merit award in recognition of her outstanding work performance", Ms Choane said.

Kate was the captain of both the DLA netball and female soccer teams. "She kept the teams together. She would never let anything intimidate her and was the only female in the soccer committee for the male team", Ms Chaone added.

Kate's friend, Dorah Zitha of the Swiss Mission Church in Saulsville, said they first met with Kate in church in 1998. She said Kate was a loving person who inspired her to join the Young Women's League in their church.

"In that short period Kate became a real sister to me. She was a shoulder to cry on and I will really miss her", Dorah said with tears running down her cheeks.

Solly Phetla from the Departments Sport Committee said Kate's commitment to sport could never be doubted or swayed by anything. He said immediately after Kate joined the DLA, she participated in both soccer and netball.

Kate was one of the founders of the "Spice Girls" (the DLA National Office netball team) way back in 1999. She was also the treasurer of "AmaGents" (the DLA National Office Soccer Team).

Solly said Kate was always encouraging her colleagues to participate in sport. He said sometimes she would talk them into walking.

Kate was born on the 29 May 1971 and died of natural causes on the 13 March 2002. She is survived by her parents Wilson and Sophia, her daughter Mathondzi and her brothers and sisters.

She began her schooling at the Thoho - ya- ndou School and completed her matriculation at Flavius High School. She further studied Computer and Secretarial courses at Zodiac Commercial School.

She started working as an administration clerk at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Pretoria. Before joining the DLA she was working for Edcon New Accounts.

Johannes Oupa Segotla, Journal's new legal columnist, can be described as someone who entered the labour market from real humble beginnings. Earlier in his life he was once a corner boy and a newspaper deliverer, a gardener and struggled to become what he is today, an advocate of the High Court of South Africa.

Oupa, people prefer to use his second name, is an alumnus of the University of the North. He did both his junior and senior legal studies there, but did Advanced Labour Law at Pretoria University.

His extramural activities include choral music, running, karate and bodybuilding. He has occupied a number of leadership roles in many organisations and these can be listed as follows:

• Student representative on convocation
• Student Christian Movement chairperson
• Debate chairperson
• Disabled movement organisation
• Treasurer for the National Association for the blind
• Student advisor
• Public relations officer for bus train ministry
• Advisor for community development projects

In his short, but illustrious lifetime, Oupa has received a string of awards. For instance, for running two bronze medals, two silver medals and a trophy.

• The certificate from the disabled student movement
• The certificate from the National Association for the Blind

When you reach Room 405 in the Old Building at National Office, a somewhat, quiet face, greets you. Then, a smile suddenly shows. Even before she says so, you know you are welcome.

This is Khomoco Maureen Moralo who has volunteered to work as a secretary for the Communications Director, Stoncey Lebethe, while her secretary, adorable Mpumie, is recuperating from an operation. When you hear her voice you accept that you are in good hands.

When I asked if she had heeded President Thabo Mbeki's call by volunteering, she said the President's call had met her while she was already in motion. She said as a student this is what she started as far back as 1999 with the Department of Education in Bloemfontein, and now that she is unemployed after completing her studies in June last year, she has found volunteering work somewhat fulfilling.

She said even though one is not salaried at the end of a month, volunteer work enables one to gather experience along the way. She said there is no time to be idle or think irrelevantly at home because one is occupied all the time.

Maureen told me that Chief Director Manye Moroka had advised her about Ms Lebethe's plight. At that time she was doing nothing and felt that this was another chance of avoiding boredom for her.

Maureen described President Mbeki's call as a patriotic one and was glad that the President's call was confirming that she is following the correct path. Asked to elaborate, she said Ms Lebethe's work is no different from a national call, and that means by helping her, she is helping the nation.

Maureen added that if perhaps the President's call could have arrived before she was initiated, she would have heeded it without persuasion. She encouraged people to offer their skills wherever they are needed and was emphatic that the President's call did not end at only those unemployed, but to the nine-to-five group, too.

She said she is aware that it can never be easy for those who are not working to offer their services for nothing. She said this is a challenge that needs to be tested.

Maureen can express herself eloquently in four of South Africa's official languages. No bachelor has yet led her to the altar and her health is good.

Given a chance, I would describe her as a labour specialist because her studies at the Vaal Triangle Technikon were on labour relations. She majored in labour relations and labour relations law.

Asked to comment in general on the presence of volunteers in the DLA, PSA Chairperson, Albert Badenhorst said the PSA gladly welcomes the initiative of voluntary service to help make South Africa a better country for all. He said voluntary workers in the DLA could assist to make the Department more effective in the delivery of land by doing basic administrative work.

"This would free the hands of full time officials in the DLA to attend to urgent land issues and expedite land delivery. Volunteers gain work experience which they previously did not have and which will help them in their quest for work. At the same time, it will be a great challenge for the Department to ensure that managing volunteer workers does not disrupt the delivery of land", he concluded.

From his side Robert Dali from NEHAWU said his union is in support of service delivery to the nation including transformation. He said the union also supports free RDP services such as water and electricity at lower rates to be rendered to our communities.

"The volunteers are showing that they are willing to serve their country without remuneration. If I had authority, I would first consider employing such people in the vacancies present in the Department for their sacrifices and commitment", he said.

Umtata Office not serving with a remote control

In realising the concept of bringing services to the people the Eastern Cape Provincial Land Reform Office has opened a District Office in Umtata. In this article the Umtata District Manager, Nicholas Matebese (NM), speaks to T K Sonjica (TK) and explains why they are not serving with a remote control.

TK: When did the office start functioning and what staff compliment do you have?

NM: The Umtata office was opened in July 2001. This office was started by Brenda Notununu and myself. Brenda was is a Senior Administrative Clerk and I am a Deputy Director. During the month of June we were busy with the logistical issues relevant to the opening of a new office. I was also involved in the projects' field work. On the 1^st of August 2001 three planners joined us, that is, Mthembeni Mkhize, an assitant planner, Babalwa Magoda, a planner, and Xolani Baqwa, a senior planner.

Zwelibanzi Mayekiso, popularly known as Mawawa, his clan name, on the 1^st March 2002 joined us as a chief planner. We are now in the process of filling another post. After this we are going to have a full staff compliment.

The office is in an old building which Brenda and I were involved in choosing it among others. Initially our offices were going to be housed in the PRD Building but we experienced problems with Public Works. Now we are situated at No.59 Nelson Mandela Drive in Umtata.

TK: Which District Councils does the office serve?

NM: Our office is responsible for OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo District Municipalities.

In 2002 we worked towards introducing the office to other stakeholders, district municipalities, regional offices of Agriculture, land sector NGOs and communities. Again we worked towards forming the District Screening Committee. We held two preparatory meetings in December 2001. We agreed on the terms of reference. Today we have regular monthly meetings in which we assess or screen projects. We recommend these projects to the Provincial Grants Committee for funding approval.

The following participate in our DSC meetings: Land Bank, Umtata and Kokstad Regional offices of agriculture, the Environment Affairs Department, OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo District Municipalities, Umtata and Kokstad Housing and Local Government offices.

TK: What are the specific services offered by your office ?

NM: Types of projects we are dealing with are the following:

1. Tenure projects/ eco tourism

• Umtata Mouth Fishing project
• Mntonga Lodge
• Lutatweni cultural village project
• Cwebeni cultural village and horse trail
• Mtentu Horse trail
• Mbotyi Camping site
• KwaTshezi Lodge
• Qolora Abalone project
• Pat Goss project ( we are going to attend the first meeting)
• Maluti Hiking Trail

All these projects are taking place along the wild coast. Only Maluti is in the interior.

2. Equity projects

• Magwa
• Majola

3. Redistribution projects

• Fikile Bam Farm

• Joe Slovo
• Mandela Park
• Chris Hani

5. Disposal of state land

• Ongeluksnek farms (Maluti)
• Port St Johns farms

5. Rural housing projects ( also tenure issues)

• Hadini
• Egderton
• Preston
• Mpeko
• Lindile

TK: TK: Obviously one can argue and say because of its existence there are advantages that the office brought to the public. What are those advantages?