Many farms redistributed in terms of South Africa’s land-reform programme are failing and falling into ruin because the beneficiaries have little or no interest in agriculture, says the Democratic Alliance.
”Eighty percent of the people [given farms] just wanted land,” DA rural development and land-reform spokesperson Annette Steyn told a media briefing at Parliament on Tuesday.
She was speaking at the launch of a DA ”Land Reform in Crisis” report, which highlights the findings of visits by MPs to a number of farms that were redistributed in terms of government’s Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development (LRAD) programme.
Oversight visits were made to 11 farms in Limpopo, five in the Free State, and two each in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.
”Of the farms we visited, most went wrong … there was no farming activity,” Steyn said.
The report paints a dire picture of resettled farms in Limpopo, where, to date, a total of 195 farms have been ”restituted” in terms of the LRAD programme.
”The farms visited by the DA were, before transfer … financially and agriculturally productive. Five years after transfer, the picture is very different, and some are in dire condition.
”Houses have been left to rot due to lack of maintenance and criminals steal copper pipes, electricity transformers and farming equipment,” it states.
The briefing included a display of photos taken during the visits, showing dilapidated farm infrastructure, falling-down buildings and neglected fruit orchards, among others.
Steyn pinned the blame for the situation on the government, saying it had failed to apply proper selection criteria when it came to awarding the properties.
”Basically… there were no criteria,” she said.
Exacerbating the problem was that on those farms where new farmers did want to work the land, the government was failing to support them.
”At none of the farms visited was there evidence of constructive, significant assistance from the state. As a result, many of the farms are on the verge of collapse.”
An example was a crop, fruit and dairy farm in Mpumalanga, which the government had bought for 248 beneficiaries in 2002, at a cost of R15,5-million.
”No post-settlement support [has been] received from the Department of Land Affairs. The farm is not doing well as it needs a cash injection, and they do not have [a] loan facility. They are also struggling with maintenance and equipment.”
According to the report, a total of 2 864 farms have been redistributed for agricultural purposes nationally.
”Of those reviewed, 29% have failed, and productivity at a further 22% is declining. Should those in the latter category also fail, more than half of farms redistributed by government will have failed.”
The report contains recommendations, including that people with a ”background of farming or a love of farming” be given preference when it comes to agricultural land reform.
Further, the government should purchase farms suitable for the type of activity the beneficiary wanted to undertake. It suggests starting on a small scale and not forcing programmes on new farmers.
It also suggests fostering ties with existing farmers in organised agriculture.
”White farmers cannot be seen as ‘the enemy’ and must be made partners in this whole process,” it states.
The DA says it will forward a copy of the report to Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti. — Sapa