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E Cape municipalities at loggerheads over commercial farms

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Two district municipalities in the Eastern Cape, OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo, are at loggerheads over seven commercial farms worth more than R59 million bought near Kokstad.

It’s alleged they were purchased by the OR Tambo District municipality in 2008 to benefit emerging farmers.

Some emerging farmers from Ntabankulu and Mbizana municipalities, which fall under the Alfred Nzo District Municipality, are also fuming, saying they have not benefited as the farms are managed by the OR Tambo District Municipality.

They say when the farms were purchased, their municipalities were under the OR Tambo District Municipality, but following a demarcation process, their municipalities then fell under the Alfred Nzo District Municipality.

The farmers say the farms should have been divided equally between two district municipalities.

The OR Tambo District Municipality runs the farms through the Ntinga Development Agency. These farms include an abattoir and dairy farm.

Emerging farmers from Alfred Nzo District Municipality are not happy as they believe they were treated unfairly, particularly after the demarcation process. They say the farmers from the OR Tambo District Municipality are enjoying more benefits.

Alfred Nzo farmer’s union secretary, Lixolile Petela, says at least two farms should have been given to the Alfred Nzo District Municipality after Mbizana and Ntabankulu fell under the district.

Petela says all emerging farmers will invade the farms if the municipality is reluctant to resolve the issue.

“We have actually given them 21 days to respond because we are demanding the return of those farms that were bought by the OR Tambo district municipality to the people of Alfred Nzo because two of those seven farms belong to us. So within 21 days from now, we are going to be taking our livestock, taking them in those farms, we are invading those farms because they are our farms. We want them back as farmers in the Alfred Nzo region.”

Alfred Nzo District Municipality Mayor, Sixolile Mehlomakhulu, has urged the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department to intervene.

“We have written some letters to the MEC Xasa for local government to say the PSC processes were not concluded since 2011 up thus far and we have been writing letters and meeting the MEC to make sure that these district municipalities, both the OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo, will meet and resolve these issues so that those farms that belong to Alfred Nzo may come back. We have been in that problem for a very long time and up to thus far we have not yet got the positive response from the MEC.”

However, the OR Tambo Farmers Association’s Bandile Gqwetha says even local farms in the OR Tambo region are not benefiting from these farms.

“The OR Tambo Development Agency now is the owner of the abattoir, market fruit produce and other enterprises. The actual farmers that are supposed to be benefiting are not beneficiaries in the enterprises and it is amazing as well. It raises a concern because there is no partnership that has been created between the OR Tambo farmers and Ntinga Development for them to benefit in the business there.”

However, these claims have been dismissed by the OR Tambo spokesperson, Ayongezwa Lungisa.

“The people who are benefiting from the farm are the communities and this was going to be understood within the context that there were seven farms that were bought there with implements as well as the infrastructure inside. So we have been farming for the benefit of the people of OR Tambo.”

Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs provincial spokesperson, Mamkeli Ngam, says the MEC, Fikile Xasa, will meet both municipalities and resolve the impasse.

“The MEC is aware of the standoff that seems to exist between the two districts of Alfred Nzo and OR Tambo in as far as the ownership of farms that were purchased by the OR Tambo District municipality in the Kokstad area .We need to work hard so that they are able to work and manage their own affairs in a manner that ensures a speedy resolution of the impasse that relate to those farms.”

Farmers say the beneficiation issue needs to be addressed as soon as possible as they are suffering.

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