asked the Minister of Constitutional Development and Planning:

1. (1) What total number of persons could be accommodated as at 31 December 1988 in the (a) houses and (b) single quarters available in (i) Langa, (ii) Nyanga and (iii) Guguletu without there being undesirable overcrowding;
2. (2) (a) how many persons are estimated to be living in these (i) houses and (ii) single quarters in (aa) Langa, (bb) Nyanga and (cc) Guguletu and (b) in respect of what date is this estimate furnished?

B607E

asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs:

1. (1) Whether the holding of free and fair elections is one of the pre-conditions of a settlement in South West Africa; if so,
2. (2) whether the parties participating in these elections will be permitted to receive financial support from foreign organizations; if so, what are the relevant details;
3. (3) whether he and/or his Department will take measures to ensure that no party participating in these elections will obtain any unfair advantage over any other such parties; if not, why not; if so, what measures?

B714E

asked the Minister of Defence:

1. (1) Whether there has been a South African Defence Force presence (a) on the campus or in the immediate vicinity of the University of the North and (b) in the vicinity of the home of the rector of this university at any time since 1 January 1989; if so, (i) for what purpose, (ii) at whose request, (iii) for what periods, (iv) on what dates and (v) with what effect;
2. (2) whether Defence Force personnel monitor or control in any way the movement of students arriving at or departing from the campus (a) during the day and (b) after hours?

B756E

asked the Minister of Defence:

1. (1) How many (a) White, (b) Coloured, (c) Indian and (d) Black persons volunteered for national service in the South African Defence Force in 1988;
2. (2) how many of these volunteers in each category could be accommodated?

B765E

asked the Minister of Education and Culture:

How many teaching service bursaries and/or loans were made available in each provincial education department in the 1988-89 financial year?

B569E

asked the Minister of Defence:

Whether the South African Defence Force is occupying any portion of Khosies, which is situated between Kuruman and Postmasburg, or land surrounding Khosies or in its immediate vicinity; if so, what action has the Defence Force taken or does it intend taking in respect of the local inhabitants?

C99E.INT

Mr Chairman, I want to react later to what the hon the Deputy Minister said in this connection. I merely find it interesting that he mentioned the year in which the land had been transferred to the Defence Force. The Gathlose-Marcmane area’s residents’ problem has existed since the days of the old CRC and it was the subject of intense discussion in that council among the people of that region. The late Oom Jan Ferris constantly bemoaned the fate of the people of that area and suggested solutions to establish the people’s permanence on that 14 000 ha of farming land—this was long before the Defence Force appeared on the scene.

The hon member Mr Muller and I were there ourselves on 29 April 1989. Slipping and sliding through the muddy paths and wallows, we paid our visit. [Interjections.] The poultry there are plump as partridges, the cattle are among the best I have seen, there is an abundance of natural drinking water and although the people are cut off from the nearest towns as well as from means of communication, they are as happy as can be. They want to stay there. The hon the Deputy Minister must tell us what they are going to do in connection with those people. They want the Government’s absolute assurance that they can stay there permanently and will even be able to get title deeds for every family on that land that they call crown land, reserve land, trust land or—as one old woman there said—Oom Paul Kruger’s land. The people stay there free of charge, and they want it kept that way. At the moment they are living in prefabricated buildings and they now want to have decent houses built for themselves. These can then be permanently retained for the children.

It looks as though the Defence Force is subtly trying to lure the people from there to neighbouring towns, however. The Defence Force built four houses at Postmasburg, and then told the people that the houses were ready and that they could move. Later these people then found that they had to pay rent, as well as pay for water and other services, whereas that is not the case at Gathlose-Marcmane. The residents are terribly dissatisfied and unhappy about this. One of them has moved back already. A witty grandfather summed up the situation by saying: “The Government blindfolded us like donkeys drawing bucket pumps. Postmasburg’s former management committee put blinkers on us as if we were transport donkeys.” It is a long time since I heard that kind of language and I found it terribly interesting. This situation … [Time expired.]

Mr Chairman, I should like to tell the hon the Deputy Minister of Defence that I think it is absolutely essential for the residents of this area to gain certainty with regard to their future. According to my information these people do not know whether they have to stay there or leave. This community is essentially a farming community, and I understand that some of them are reasonably successful farmers. Consequently it would be unfair in my opinion to expect these people to settle in a town. According to the information given by the hon the Deputy Minister, I understand that such a possibility is being considered. Then there is also the possibility of a tragedy such as those indicated by the hon the Deputy Minister and the one which has taken place in this area. We know that there was a tragedy on the Defence Force’s Rooiberg Training Site on the West Coast earlier this year when two children were killed and a number of children were injured.

I think it is extremely important to reach finality so that the people can know what their fate and their future will be. They must know whether they will be able to stay there and carry on with their farming or not, and if not, where they will be going to.

Mr Chairman, I merely want to ask the hon the Deputy Minister to what extent the people are going to be compensated if it is decided to move them. [Interjections.]

Mr Chairman, the branch committee of the LP in the area has been dealing with the problem at Khosies for some time now and numerous discussions have been held with the hon the Minister of Local Government, Housing and Agriculture.

This hon Minister put reasonable options to the community, including alternative settlement at a mining town, Owendale, and also somewhere along the Botswana border. These options appear to be unacceptable to these people, and the attitude of the party in this region is that these people will not be forced to accept any option, but that the community will be given the choice of taking a decision themselves on where they want to settle.

Houses were built for these people at Kuruman during the early eighties. These houses have already been sold to the community in Kuruman because the people of Khosies did not want to move there. [Interjections.]

One of the solutions in this area appears to be for the Army to relinquish 14 000 ha on the one side of the Defence Force site to the community so that they can be settled there. Then they will be out of the way of the Defence Force and decent access roads can be built. In addition decent camps can be fenced off for their cattle, which will solve the problem of overgrazing. One can ultimately move in the direction of a situation where the land can be registered in the names of the individuals, since the settlement as it is at present is quite unacceptable because it is collectively owned. No individual person owns the land, and consequently there is no desire to take extra care when it comes to matters such as overgrazing. As a result the department cannot construct proper roads for the community. [Interjections.]

In conclusion I want to give hon members the assurance that we shall resolve this problem together with the community of Khosies in co-operation with the Ministers’ Council and the responsible Government departments.

Mr Chairman, the hon member who is bragging so about what the LP is doing about the problem did not say that the hon member for the area, Northern Cape, had collected money from the people in order to come to Parliament to put their case here and that absolutely nothing had been decided with regard to the people’s future; on the contrary, they will be surprised to hear that they are no longer all that welcome there. [Interjections.]

Since the hon the Minister has said that the Defence Force wants to use that area, it is absolutely essential that there be clarity in respect of the people’s settlement. There is water available adjacent to that land, and the Defence Force must think of that. The people cannot possibly move to the cities with their farming activities. [Interjections.]

In addition signs have been erected there by the Defence Force saying that it is dangerous to pick up unexploded bombs, mortars, hand grenades, etc. What does one do about the illiterates that live in Khosies? How can they read those signs put up by the Defence Force?

The Defence Force should have taken into account the representations addressed to them years ago by the old CRC and even prior to that. The late Oom Jan Ferris said he had initiated representations in this connection as early as 1946, before they moved in there and endangered the cattle and property and lives of those farmers. That is the point on which the hon the Minister must give us clarity. The hon member Mr Lockey must not say he has spoken to the hon the Minister of Local Government, Housing and Agriculture. Those people do not want to be settled in an urban area. They want to be where they can farm. [Interjections.] That is what happens if they do not do their work. [Time expired.]

asked the Minister of Constitutional Development and Planning:†

1. (1) (a) What percentage of the posts in his Department was filled by (i) Black, (ii) Coloured and (iii) Indian persons as at 1 March 1989 and (b) which posts were so filled;
2. (2) (a) in respect of which senior posts in his Department were appointments made during the latest specified period of 12 months for which figures are available and (b) in which of these posts were (i) Black, (ii) Coloured and (iii) Indian persons appointed;
3. (3) whether the posts concerned were advertised; if not, why not; if so, in what manner?

C61E