A farm owner at Wonderboom in Ga-Masemola outside Lebowakgomo in Limpopo is calling upon the police to arrest those who destroyed their farm. The farm was allegedly burnt down by some community members who are not happy with the allocation of land for new and emerging farmers.
Facilities, crops and livestock were affected and destroyed.
It’s alleged that a group of community members who were armed with various objects, destroyed the fence, and gained entry to the farm. They destroyed the property inside the house and thereafter set the house and two other shacks on fire. A chicken coop with a few chickens inside was also burnt.
The perpetrators also destroyed the fence around the advanced maize crops, thereby allowing roaming cattle and goats to feed on the crops.
The Farm Manager, Thabang Thobejan says the cost of destruction runs into millions of rand.
“The fence is damaged. Everything is damaged. The building has burnt down, the building, the roof, the equipment that we use has burnt down. Lucky for the animals they were not killed. But everything we use has burnt down to ashes.”
The Community leader, Wilson Mogowe says the farm owner has all the necessary documents to farm in the area, after receiving 35 hectares of land from Masemola Tribal Authority.
He says the destruction was caused by those who are preventing development in the area, as the farm had the potential to boost the local economy.
“People who don’t want development just came and caused destruction here. They even accused the farm owner of not coming from this area, but he was born here and he grew up here. His parents and grandparents are also staying here, it’s only now that the farm owner got married to the neighbouring village.”
Farm Worker Mabitla Motloheloa says, “They cut the fence and destroyed everything here. They also burnt all our belongings in the house, including our beds as the workers here. We lost everything.”
Limpopo police say investigations are under way, and they suspect that the violence was sparked by a land dispute.
