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FILE PHOTO: Chickens are seen at a poultry farm at Hartbeesfontein, a settlement near Klerksdorp [File image]
Chicken farmers in Ga-Mphahlele, outside Lebowakgomo in Limpopo, have raised concerns over the vandalism of their co-operative buildings. Building infrastructure and electricity cables have been stolen.
The buildings were donated by Lonmin and subsidized by the government for the poultry farming project.
The R31 million project comprises of seven buildings, each with capacity for 30 000 chickens, totaling 210 000 chickens for eggs and meat. The farmers say it employed 40 permanent and over 200 casual staff members.
The buildings have now been vandalised and their roofs stolen. Project members, Mogotladi Maleasenya and Kabudi Mphahlele have called for government to intervene.
“Thieves ravaged our facility, making off with essential infrastructure, including steel roofing sheets, equipment, standby generators, and cables. They even dismantled transformers, leaving our operations crippled. Despite our initial attempts to report these crimes to the authorities and file cases, the situation has since escalated, rendering further action futile. We are asking the government to deploy security officers here, to protect what is left. This facility is valued at R7 million per house and was vandalised following years of inactivity due to a lack of funding. This devastating loss impacts not only university students who relied on it for practical training but also the entire community.”
Vandalism | Chicken farmers in Ga-Mphahlele seek government assistance:
Limpopo Agriculture MEC, Nakedi Kekana says criminal cases have been opened. Kekana says they will work with the community to resuscitate the co-operative.
“We believe that these hindering processes that we see here, will not destroy our aim or our target objective, to make sure that by December we see the people around Ga-Mphahlele benefiting from the abattoir that is going to be opened in December. We are going to make sure that other broiler farms across the province, we are going to work closely with them to make sure that they continue with the supply while at the same time, we’re dealing with this kind of vandalism. We’re quite optimistic.”
Reporting Karabo Kgafane
