Makgoba Tea Estate, once a successful business, has collapsed
The Makgoba Tea Estate, Dindine Farm and Zebediela Citrus Farms were once thriving businesses. The multi-million rand farms, which were part of the land restitution programme in Limpopo, have collapsed.
They were given back to land claimants to continue with commercial farming.
Since the dawn of democracy, the government has spent billions of rands trying to revive the farms. But the Makgoba Tea Estate, which once employed over 2 000 workers, is a shadow of its former self.
Shrubs and bushes have now plagued the estate after it failed to make a sustainable turnover.
The farm was claimed through Makgoba Community Trust in 2006. The Land Reform Department has pumped millions of rands to assist in keeping the plantation afloat.
Organisations representing farmers have called on the government to provide more training to Communal Property Associations. They say this will assist the beneficiaries with the necessary skills to run commercial farms.
“People don’t have sufficient skills you find people have acquired these farms because it is their rightful land but they have no skills,” says Mopani Farmers Association, Adam Mabunda.
The beneficiaries want government to assist in resuscitating the farms.
Beneficiary Sylvester Shipalana says, “When people got this thing of land, the farms were up and they have destroyed everything and now the farms are down and out.”
Agricultural authorities say they will inject more funds to resuscitate the farms.
Limpopo Agriculture MEC, Thabo Mokone says, “We have a program called RAVAL where we are putting money every year almost R30 million to make sure that these farms are resuscitated. We can proudly say that Majeje citrus estate we have partnered with the private sector, we are spending almost R100 million with the private sector and the estate is doing very well.”
Authorities blame infighting within Communal Property Associations on the collapse of land restoration farms in the province.
Source: SABC News (sabcnews.com)
