Small farmers demand land

Small-scale farmers says government's land reform programme is slow

Small scale farmers from the Western and Northern Cape provinces marched to Parliament today in protest against government's “sluggish” land reform programme.

Chanting pro-Zuma slogans, the more than 200 protesters accused government of turning a deaf ear to their grievances that included land deprivation and lack of State support.

Waving a placard with a “bring back my land” message, secretary of Cederberg Emerging Farmers Forum Hendrik Janse said government had failed to respond to challenges faced by previously disadvantaged farmers.

Small farmers were also frustrated by the government's "sluggish" land reform programme.

Spokesperson of the Northern Cape small farmers, Daniel Engelbreit said most of the programmes put in place by government to support previously disadvantaged farmers had collapsed due to either corruption or lack of interest from land affairs officials. "Irrigation and other support programmes meant to assist small farmers collapse within a few months and nothing is being done to revive them," he said.

Accepting the memorandum on behalf of Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana, Chief Director in the Western Cape Provincial Land Reform office, Terance Fife said the department viewed the farmers' grievances as critical, and that he would immediately convey them to the minister. “These are very critical issues and we can not afford to ignore them,” he said. – Sapa