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Farm workers are seen at a farm
After months of uncertainty five emerging farmers from Melkkraal at Odendaalsrus in the Free State can breathe a sigh of relief.
Threats to evict them from the farm they were living on reached the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Mzwanele Nyhontsho after their story was aired on SABC News on Christmas Day.
They had complained about officials from the department who demanded they vacate the farm without an eviction notice being served. This despite a valid lease agreement in place. There’s also allegedly 1 200 hectares of land that was taken away from them and given to another farmer, leaving them with only 600 hectares to work on.
Heads are expected to roll following the minister’s intervention.
Minister Mzwanele Nyhontsho says there is no space for corruption. Nyhontsho made an appeal to public servants to act with integrity and honesty.
“If this is how we treat our people that means there’s a problem with our government. We cannot allow people to be treated like this. We cannot give our people a five-year lease with an understanding that automatically it translates into a 30-year lease agreement, and in the sixth or seventh year you decide to evict them and give somebody else their land. You are setting them up, that is the reason we are here to intervene, to ensure this government acts with integrity,” he says.
Free State Premier, Maqueen Letsoha Mathae also lamented the attitude of the public servants.
“Whatever was raised revolved around officials of the department. As leaders, we cannot run away from that. When you listen to each and every speaker and hear how they are treated in offices, how they are not getting support from the officials. What we also didn’t like is how they are operating in terms of assisting or giving support to certain farmers or individuals. There’s a situation that brought us here which is the Melkkraal issue where the land was advertised as a portion of 1.8 hectares. They said in the advert, we are told, the preference was going to be given to women, a good reason to empower women. But what they did was to get two women to fight each other,” says Mathae.
Some of the affected farmers have welcomed government’s response.
Moroalathoto Lebeko Jabane is one of them.
“I was so shocked and happy at the same time to know that they are coming. It’s the first time to hear of the minister coming down to the local level. I say big up to the minister and the premier. We are thankful for what they have done for us.”
Another farmer, Makunye Seheri expressed his happiness following government intervention.
“From now, I’m so happy. I don’t know what to say. I just want to thank God. Thanks to the minister, thanks to the premier.”
Because of the number of problems raised the minister has expressed a need to come back to the province and hold an indaba with all the farmers and stakeholders.
